What's for Lunch?

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"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."   - Proverbs 16:9

  Walking into the office in the morning, he opened Outlook and took a glance at his calendar. Another day filled with back to back and overlapped meetings. Not even a lunch today. Why don't people at least consider his "free time" over lunch untouchable. When did he lose the right to have a break in the middle of the day and enjoy a salad. "But wait, who is that on my calendar at noon? I've never met this guy, and he thinks he can just schedule a lunch meeting. Great - real winner here."

  The morning quickly passed, one phone call to another. Trying to catch up on e-mails while multi-tasking through one of his conference calls. His stomach was growling as 11:30 rolled around. He thought to himself, "There is no way I can skip lunch today. I'll quickly jump out of this meeting early and grab a lunch, eat it at my desk and be ready for the new guy at noon." Excusing himself from the meeting and he swung by the vending area. Grabbing a pre-wrapped ham and cheese, some Dorito's and a bottle of Mountain Dew, he sat back in his chair. Quickly, he inhaled the sandwich and chips, so quickly that he actually lost his breath a time or two. Five minutes to spare, he rose and headed to the restroom before his noon meeting.

  Upon returning to his office, he noticed the door was open and a man stood just inside his office. As he stepped inside the door, he was immediately shocked. There upon his desk was a pure white linen cloth, fine silver ware and an actual plate (not styro-foam). A single rose in a vase set in the middle of the tablecloth, and to the side was a silver serving tray, covered but the smell filled the room. The stranger lifted the cover to reveal a masterfully prepared NY Strip steak, with garlic potatoes, vegetables and warm rolls with melted butter. He noticed the fine glassware with ice cubes and iced tea and a water glass next to it. It was as if this stranger had picked up a table from the finest restaurant in town and brought it here for lunch.

  Setting down behind the desk and looking up at the soft eyes of the gentlemen standing near the door, he asked, "Wow, what is all of this for?" Quietly, the man responded. "It would have been rude of me to schedule a meeting over your lunch hour and not provide you with something of substance." Looking at the incredible spread of food, the busy executive shook his head in regret that he had just devoured a vending machine lunch, leaving him feeling the effects of indigestion still. "I don't know what to say. You are an extraordinary man, and I don't even know you."

  The stranger stepped forth, hand extended; "Forgive my rudeness. We met many years ago and I've been trying to arrange a sit down meeting with you ever since. I want to run a few ideas by you to see if you'd be interested in helping me out. I run a global business and I have the perfect position for you if you're ready to talk. Is this a good time?"

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So how about it, friends?  Does Jesus actually have to come down and have a face to face lunch meeting with you over steaks and salads for you to take seriously that He is God and you are not. His plan for your life is a 5 star lunch compared to your plan of a vending machine sandwich. He's not going anywhere.  He just needs you to accept His invitation. Think about it, pray about it and do something about it. It'll be the best lunch you'll ever have.
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2010
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

It Takes Time

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“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”   - 1 John 4:16

The darkness surrounded them as they walked hand in hand from the conference.  There was no need for words or romantic actions, it was just two people deeply in love after spending years with each other.  Time together has a way of forming a bond that is evidenced without extravagant displays of emotion or silliness.  Then, you see the older man stop and turn to his aged, but beautiful wife and taking her in his arms begins to dance under the soft light of the street lamp.  No music, no band, nothing but the sound of the crickets and soft wind through the trees.  As they turned and swayed to the imaginary sound of a big band, one could sense the oneness that had grown over the years together.  The moment was climaxed by him dipping her and then gently kissing the lips of the woman he had loved more than life itself.  Then standing back up, they walked the remaining twenty feet or so to their car where he opened the door for her and helped her into her seat.  As they drove away, an observer could not help but feel wonder for the love that had just been displayed.

Time strengthens the bond of love between individuals.  We all know this to be true.  The comfort, the confidence, the familiarity and the wisdom increases as years come and go in any relationship.  So it is with loving God.  We read the words, and flip through the pages of His Word and every now and then stop and ponder the love of God.  But are we fully embracing the depth of His love, the completeness and the fullness of how much He has done for us.  When we think of the cross and fully embrace the events that took place on Calvary that day, over 2000 years ago, we cannot help but become overwhelmed with the love that God has for us.  All He longs for, is for us to love Him in return. 

Spend a few moments today in quiet reflection simply pouring out your heart to God in thanksgiving for all that He has given you.  Count the blessings you have in your life and realize that every one of them come from Him and that He gives to you willingly and wants you to be filled with life and happiness.  The relationship you have with God the Father must become stronger, deeper and more rich as you spend more time with Him.  As you seek Him more, He becomes more visible in areas of your life where you need Him most.  Abide in Him, so that He may also abide more so in you.

            

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

Get Out of the Way

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“My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”   - 2 Chronicles 7:14

Let’s break this one down, because most of us want to hear from God and want His blessing in our life, but all too often we are not realizing the healing and forgiveness that He has made available to us.

My people – are you one of God’s “peeps”?  Do you find yourself looking to Him for advice, following His call on your life and pursuing Him?  Or are you, like most of us, simply going through the motions on Sunday mornings and occasionally on Wednesday nights?  What does it mean to be one of God’s people?  This becomes your identity, your legacy and with pride you tell the world – “I am a Christian, and follow the One and only God Almighty.”  Do your co-workers, schoolmates, friends and/or family even know, or is it a secret between you and God?

called by My name – You had no control over being born, but you have every opportunity to decide where you are going with this life.  You have the choice to follow God’s calling in life or to ignore it and pursue your own path.  Each of us are called by God to follow Him and dwell within His plan for our life.  How different is this world if even 10% of us decided to actually follow Him, and abide by His guidelines and direction in our life?

humble themselves, pray and seek My face – Get out of the way.  Seriously, you need to put your own pride, ego and desires to the side, and openly seek God’s desire for your life.  We all want that mountaintop experience with God, where we clearly hear Him and understand where He is calling us.  One friend of mine said, “If He’d only write it down in plain English, I’d give up everything and follow His plan.”  The thing is – He did.  It’s called the Holy Bible.  The problem is we don’t take it literally and get out of the way of executing the plan laid out between the covers.  God’s desire is for you to decrease so that He might increase.  As long as you are holding onto your plans for life the less you are going to have that face to face experience you so strongly desire.

turn from their wicked ways – this can’t refer to me though, right?  I am not wicked.  It all depends on your definition of wicked vs His definition of wicked; and in the end who’s definition is going to matter?  Christ was provided as the single sacrifice to overcome all sin and provide salvation to those who accept Him as Savior and Lord.  This doesn’t give you free reign to continue in the lifestyle of wickedness though, knowing that His grace will forgive your unrighteousness.  There is a word in the Bible – repent - which means to turn the other way and not return.  You and I need to take this to heart.  When we are pursuing Christ, we are pursuing that which brings Him glory and honor and expands His Kingdom.  By continuing in our sinful, wicked lives we are clearly stating to Christ and the world, that I am more interested in my own pleasure, my own lust and desire than in living for Him.  That is a denial of Christ’s salvation in and of itself.  Do not overlook this important aspect of creating a relationship with God.

then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land – the rewards follow obedience.  God is all around us, waiting patiently for us to turn to Him and partake in His glory and righteousness.  He wants to heal us and our land from iniquity and the lustful pride, foolish desires and unrighteousness that keeps us from salvation.  He wants to pour out His plan upon us, so that we might fulfill our purpose in this life.  Often times though, we get in the way of receiving His word, His purpose and His grace.  We struggle with the first part of this scripture verse and jump right to the good part that tells us God will heal and forgive.  It’s not that simple folks – you have to get your junk out of the way, and then His blessings will overwhelm you.

PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
Let Your word fall true upon our ears today.  Let our hearts and minds be convicted by the Holy Spirit to empty ourselves of our desires so that we might pursue Yours.  Forgive us for our transgressions, our lustful thoughts and our wickedness.  Help us to overcome the prideful, selfish desires of this world and humble ourselves to hear from You.  We need to hear from You, Lord, so that we may enter into Your glory once again. We ask these things in the name of Your sweet and glorious Son, Jesus Christ.   Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

He's Right There

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“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”   - James 4:8

I look at him and help him up onto my lap.  I wrap my arms around his 7 year old frame and hug him, not in a playful, bear hug manner, but rather in a “I love you so much” way.  There are times I just don’t want to let him go, for fear of what might happen or because I want him to know that I love him.  I flex my muscles and draw his body close as he sits on my lap, and closing my eyes I say a small prayer that God watch over him when I cannot, bless his every step throughout the day and protect him from harm, verbal or physical.  As a father, I cannot tell you how much I love my son and daughters, because it cannot be expressed in words.  There are times when I’m tucking them in at night that after stepping from their room, and shutting the door, I find myself choked up with the emotion of loving them.  I would do anything physically possible to keep them from harm or to make their life easier.  I’m not sure I can say that about a casual friend or an acquaintance though.  Those relationships do not possess the same level of commitment as I have with my children and my wife.

How often are you asking the question, “Where was God?”  Perhaps it was a situation where you lost your job, perhaps it was the loss of a loved one or a friend, perhaps it was a situation of abuse to someone you know or even yourself, or perhaps it was a devastating tornado or flood which shredded your belongings.  Reflect on the last time you found yourself asking this question and then ask yourself this question, “What did I expect from God at that moment?”  Did you expect that God would miraculously change the circumstances so you did not have to experience the pain?  Did you expect Him to in some way change the circumstances to your favor rather than your detriment?  In our humanity we observe situations and circumstances as single point in time events and often times treat God as a genie in a bottle to be used at our beck and call.  Yet, we find ourselves walking our own path and controlling our own life for the other 95% of the time.  The truth is God is not a genie in a bottle for your convenience; He is the omnipotent, sovereign Lord of all creation and is not at your disposal when you feel the need.

God is omnipresent, which means He is everywhere, at all times.  When the scriptures tell us to draw close to God, how is this possible when He is everywhere; how does one get closer?  Drawing close to God is not a physical presence, it is a spiritual presence.  God loves us so intensely, just as I love my children, and His desire is for our joy and happiness to be found in worshipping and loving Him.  He can’t draw closer to you, or love you anymore than He does.  His love is immutable and He has demonstrated this through the sacrifice of His own Son that we might have eternal life.  There is no deeper love that He can give to you, than the grace provided to redeem your sinful nature and allow for you to enter into heaven.  His perspective is not moment by moment, but eternal. 

Drawing close to God means understanding Him more, familiarizing yourself with His ways, His desires, His purpose and plans.  I want you to compare the amount of time you spend preparing for school, for work, for your own desires with the amount of time you spend strengthening your relationship with God.  Do you spend 10% of your time (2.4 hours) with God each day?  Learning, listening, studying and growing?  No…what about 1 hour, perhaps 30 minutes, maybe 15 minutes?  No….hmmm, maybe you spend a few minutes before you get in the shower each morning, or a few minutes in prayer at the dinner table or before bed.  Are you seeking God’s forgiveness and redemption each day for those things that stand between you and Him?  Are you acting mindful in living up to the character of God in your daily walk, through your speech, your actions and your habits? 

Every relationship requires that both parties participate in the relationship.  If you aren’t willing to contribute and hold up your end of the bargain, but expect God too, is that not double minded?  God’s cards are on the table, He’s not going to change and He’s not going to lower His standards or expectations, just for you.  If you want God’s presence in your life to overcome adversity, pain and hardship; then you need to draw closer to Him in your daily walk and commitment to the relationship.  He is right there waiting for you to draw close and likewise He will draw closer to you.

             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2012
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com