Year: 2014

Blessed and Broken

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , , ,

For many of us, our journey through life contains moments of high satisfaction along with times of painful struggle. The shock that many young people graduating from school this year will eventually receive is realizing how unprepared they truly are to face the reality of life. For many, life is still a fantasy watched through a video screen. Movies and film clips that are programmed and reprogrammed until the scene is perfect becomes a blind standard of expectations. The “why not me” mentality confronts many self-reliant individuals who want more from life than an “average” existence. For many, happiness is the goal and money is the prize. Yet for others, survival is the norm and hope is the plan. Like many who have chronologically gone before us, life’s future challenges and obstacles are not included in our journey’s plan toward success.

Someone once told me at an early age that life consists of blessings and brokenness’s. I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but looking back now, I have to totally agree. Like the caboose on the train track, we are traveling down a path anchored by two rails on both sides of the track. On our left side are the blessings. On our right side are the brokenness’s. (Or for others the sides may be switched, but the results are the same). As we travel through life, on any given day, we experience the joy and thrills of victory, meaning, and love. Yet on the same day and possibly even moments apart, we may also experience pain, sorrow, and fear. There is not a person I haven’t met who has denied it. Some people may emphasize the blessing more than the brokenness and others focus on the brokenness more than the blessing, but if they are honest they will admit that both exist at the same time.

As we are all human, made in the image of God and yet negatively impacted by our alienation from God, we all experience godly and ungodly moments. The real question is which side are we going to emphasize in our life? For most of us, our human condition wants to control the environment around us instead of trusting a living God. Therefore, we focus on trying to manage (plan, organize, and control) the broken side of life. Others though have come to learn to place their brokenness into the hands of a living God whose divine nature is to redeem, restore, and bless others. The broken-side treats others as the enemy. The blessed-side relates with others as God’s children hidden in Jesus Christ but blind from ignorance and unfriendly spiritual forces. The broken-side uses and manipulates others for their personal agenda. The blessed-side paints a vision of options and lets others freely decide which is best for them and their community. The broken-side takes all they can get for themselves. The blessed-side gives to others without any expectation of a return. The broken-side pities themselves while blaming others. The blessed-side graciously thanks their Provider and prays that others may come to know Him. Through all of life’s journey, the blessed-side eventually realizes how blessed we truly are because God carries us through our brokenness. We have learned to acknowledge our brokenness and allow God’s Spirit to regenerate us. We know who our Savior is. We don’t deny or hide from our brokenness. Instead we like Paul acknowledge that when we are weak, then God is strong in us. For that we are thankful and realize how truly Blessed we are.

How about you? What ways has God taken your brokenness and blessed you or others through it?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 9

Blessed Father, Son, and Spirit: thank you for your gracious blessings. Many of them we take for granted. Yet we acknowledge that you are the author and giver of everything that is good. You are our Healer, Redeemer, and Restored. Help take our brokenness and turn it into your blessings. Make our weakness your strength that is glorified to everyone we meet. Let your blessings flow through us and touch the people in our world. Let everything we say, think, and do be a blessing for others and for you.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, Encourager
Author of Great Business Emulates A Good God

If You Are Seeking a Devotional Study, Check Out My New Book Be Radical…Follow Christ.

Thievery Against Marriage

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , , , , ,

Marriage has been under attack from day one. Since Adam & Eve, when Eve began to spend more time listening to the serpent rather than commune with Adam and the Lord, the temptation of grabbing the non-compliant fruit eventually turned into a path of alienation from God and a broken life.

marriage 1

Jesus himself stated that in the beginning, God created the marriage relationship: one man with one woman (Mark 10:6-9). Yet mankind with his stony heart couldn’t understand and comply with God’s intent for the marriage relationship. So through the Bible He reveals how mankind is to behave toward Himself and others for our own sake.

The marriage relationship itself pictures the relationship between the church (you and me) and Christ. In addition, the marriage relationship bonded by love, mutual submission, and a lifelong commitment of faithfulness pictures the same relationship that Father God, Son, and Holy Spirit have with one another.

In many ways, the marriage institution provides a safe haven for two people to experience the abundant relational life that God Himself enjoys. However, if two people are simply in a contractual arrangement, than marriage becomes nothing more but a business enterprise; two people satisfying each other needs in exchange for services rendered. Which type of marriage relationship do you want?

God reveals the type of behavior and attitude that leads to a prosperous marriage relationship. His Word highlights what builds-up and what breakdowns the marriage relationship. They include external and internal factors.

Some external factors that break down the marriage institution includes: adultery, incest, same-sex relationships, pornography, and fornication. Internal factors includes non-submissiveness, selfishness, and ungodliness. All these factors are thieves of marriage blissfulness. The main text in the Bible that highlight marriage responsibilities and relationship builders include: Ephesians 5; 1 Corinthians 7; and Hebrews 13:4.

Marriage is the ideal place for two people joined together to experience the same relationship that the Triune God enjoys. Yet, as always, mankind wants to take shortcuts that benefit individuals at the expense of the community. God’s way may hurt a few upfront in the beginning of the process, but eventually leads to long term success and riches for the majority as well as the few.

It takes trust to know that the eternal values of God always leads to the best outcome in the long run. Marriage is no different. So if we want to enjoy a rich relationship that marriage brings, than let us begin by personally standing up as a committee of one and voice our disapproval whenever we notice thievery against marriage.  How? By simply witnessing what marriage pictures in our daily lives and if necessary, use words.

OUR PRAYER

PRAYER 2

Holy Father, Son, and Spirit: thank you for marriage and its solid foundation for a society. Thank you for your Word that explains how to make marriage a copy of your relationship with humanity and yourself. Thank you for your grace and mercy when we fall short of the ideal. Enrich us with your character, your attitude, and your heart in our marriages. Help us live and experience your life through our marriage. Thank you for everything.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, Encourager
Author of Great Business Emulates A Good God

If You Are Seeking a Devotional Study, Check Out My New Book Be Radical…Follow Christ.

 

Who Do You Trust?

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , ,

Trust is built within relationships. Without relationships, trust wouldn’t matter. Trust is important because it brings two or more parties together toward a mutual destination.
If you ever been on a team, or served in the armed forces, than you know the importance of building trust among others. If you are in a serious relationship, husband/wife, parent/child, or employer/employee, than you also have tasted the fruit of trust. The fruit may have tasted sour or spoiled at times, yet in between we have also tasted the sweetness of a trustful relationship. Most likely there is or was one person in your life that allowed you to experience the savory joy of trusting another. However, during that time there were probably many others that caused you to distrust and keep others at an arm’s distance away from the heart.
For most of us, learning to trust our Triune God is a time investment that requires commitment and obedience without focusing on immediate results. The Book of Hebrews (Chpt. 11) summarizes many people of the faith journey who held on in trust of God without receiving a reward in this bodily life. In fact, many of them lost everything including their life in a hideous manner. Yet they trusted God to the very end.
When someone asks me today how do I measure success in this life, my reply is one word: Trust. Real success is not how much toys one accumulates in this life; it is not how famous or important one becomes in the eye of others; it is not experiencing life’s good things like a blessed marriage, career, or meaningful relationships. At the end of our life, Jesus is going to review our relationship with Him. Our life is either going to exemplify trust in our self or in Him. He is simply going to evaluate through the trails, tests, and moments of truth how much we trusted Him, sought Him, and followed Him. He will accordingly reward us. He is also going to measure how well we submitted to the Holy Spirit’s lead in our life, and likewise reward us. Yes we are saved by Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. However, the Bible also teaches that we are rewarded by how much we maturely grow in our daily interaction with each other and with Christ.
So the next time someone asks you how do you measure success in life, let your answer always humbly remain the same: Trust in Jesus Christ.

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Our Heavenly Father, Son, and Spirit: thank you for committing yourself to our redemption. Help us to partner with you in following you in your work and in your plan to restore creation back to your original intent. Help us in our vain attempt to trust you. Shower upon us your steadfast love so we may experience and build a deep, trusting relationship with you. Help us to invest the day with you in everything we do. From arising, breakfast, commuting, work, lunch, gym, school, dinner, and playtime, help me to live in your presence and look for what you are doing in our little world.
Help us to help others in learning to trust you in everything we do. Amen. Amen.