Year: 2014

How Does One Become A More Effective Christ-Follower?

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , ,

Last week we heard another message of how to live the transformed life. Over the years we have heard so many of these messages that we are beginning to believe that they may be one of the causes of why the Christian community is struggling to make a stronger impact on today’s culture.
If someone keeps selling you the importance of reading the Bible, listening to God, and building relationships (all very good), from a humanistic perspective, than why is God even necessary? It seems like we have to do it all our selves. But is that how God designed us?
Again the bullet points from the minister were very good. However, as usual it emphasized one person’s narrow perspective without the goal or purpose for the methods employed. The question that always seems to arise during these messages is why doesn’t the minister simply preach what the Bible says. We are referring to 2 Peter which main purpose is to highlight how a person can live a fruitful life in Christ.
The author of 2 Peter emphasizes the main reason for his letter is to encourage you “to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.(3:18)” Chapters one and two outline the details. In Chapter 1:3-8 we are told to build our faith (trust) upon love, brotherly affection, godliness, steadfastness, self-control, knowledge, and virtue. By pursuing these values from a Christ-centric perspective, the Bible states that we will increase in spiritual fruit and effectiveness. What many of us have come to learn is that the transformed life is more about God and less about us. When Paul wrote that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, he was emphasizing Christ and de-emphasizing you and me. We are repeatedly told throughout the letter the different means to expand our knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ.
Which leads us to the question: Isn’t the best way to truly come to know anyone is by living with them? When we walk with someone and share life with them don’t we eventually come to know who and what they believe in and how they approach life? Isn’t that the same with our Lord? Isn’t it when we study about the life of Jesus Christ, who He is, what he did, and what he plans to do, and begin to hang out with him, that we come to know him better? Don’t we grow as we walk through life and experience his grace upon us? And as we live in Him and as He lives in us, don’t we slowly grow in His grace and develop a more intimate relationship with Him? It seems what we really need to learn is how to love Him with all our heart, mind, body, and strength. When we do that, don’t we begin to experience the fruit of His Spirit? Isn’t it then when we step back and realize how we are being transformed into His image not by what we do, but by what He is doing? The truth dare to be told: we simply hang on to Him knowing that the best is yet to come.

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 4

Wonderful Father, Son, and Spirit: Thank you for revealing yourself to us. Thank you for loving us and sharing your life with us. Thank you for being faithful and committed to us. Help us to focus all our strength, heart, mind, and soul toward you. In everything we say, think, or do let it be done for your glory. As you bless us, expand our world so we may be a blessing for others. Help us to be an effective disciple of yours. Help us be a “little Christ” toward the people we meet today. Help us to desist and you to fully express yourself in us and through us. Again thank you for your plan of redemption and allowing us to participate with you in your Kingdom and family circle. Help us be your light in today’s world. Help us to totally submit to your leadership, ministry, and calling. When we meet others, let them see you. Amen.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

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

Sin: Problem or Symptom?

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

As an independent consultant, I am called upon to help solve problems. Sometimes the problem is easy to identify and a solution quickly implemented. Other times, the problem is cloudy by all the smoke. Most of the time people focus on the symptoms of the problem rather than the actual cause.

For example, if you are having a cash flow problem, is that the actual problem or the symptom of something deeper; like not having a job. Many of us will focus on the symptom – no money, rather than on the actual problem – no job. Isn’t sin like that?
In our early walk with the Lord, we want to eliminate sin from our life. So we adhere to the Ten Commandments, read our Bibles to find out all the do’s and don’ts, and then find ourselves frustrated when the results are negligible. It has taken many of us multiple years to learn that sin is not the problem, but the symptom. The real problem is an absence of an intimate relationship with the Living God. Isn’t sin simply the absence of God’s influence in our life. By influence, we mean a strong desire to walk intimately with Him where His divine character expresses itself in us and through us because He lives in us. We gladly yield our self for Him to express Himself through us.
C.S. Lewis once wrote that we don’t learn to be Christ-followers; we catch it. Like a good virus it impregnates us and grows in us. The more we hang out and come to know God, not know about God, the more we enjoy Him and learn from Him. We surrender ourselves and follow the King of Kings via the Holy Spirit that lives in us. It is not just about removing sin from our life, but more so, it’s about have a strong, intimate relationship with our King. When we live a Christ-centric life, our love, joy, and peace comes from Him. As He blesses us, we simply express the same blessing toward others.
Again, sin is not the problem, but only the symptom. A close, intimate relationship with the Living God where we are daily infatuated and memorized by His love and involvement in our life leads us away from sin’s darkness and into His wonderful light. So next time we find our self on the wrong side of sin’s darkness, ask yourself these questions. “Did I really submit to God’s heart on the matter or just followed my natural desire to please myself?” How deep and strong is my current relationship with the Triune God? Am I walking with God or am I trying to make God walk with me? And lastly, what are you going to do about it?

Our Prayer

prayer 5

Holy Father – Holy Lord – Holy Spirit: Thank you for removing the eternal penalty of sin. And more so thank you for hiding us in Christ were your righteousness covers our humanity. More than anything else, help us to walk with you, to follow your story and narrative, to seek you diligently in every aspect of our life. Help us to love you with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul. Help us make you the center of our lives. Let everything we say, think, or do be done for your glory, your Kingdom, and your name. Remind us daily that you are alive in us; and also remind us to submit to your influence in our life. Help us see you each and every day wherever we go, in whatever we do, and with whomever we meet. We place our trust in you. Glorify your name through us and in us.

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.

Four Godly Attributes Found in Successful Organizations

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , ,

The book “Great Business Emulates a Good God” highlights four key characteristics found in faith-focused, faith-friendly, and faith neutral for-profit business organizations. The main difference between the three categories simply involved the weight and motive behind these values.
The four characteristics were summarized as: faithfulness in relationships, excellence in performance, fruitful in results, and integrity in action. The study demonstrated that each characteristic is an attribute of the Triune God and likewise exemplified in successful business operations. It didn’t matter if the business was Christ-centered or simply neutral in relationship with Jesus. However, what it didn’t take into account was the motive, heart, or allegiance of the organization. It simply focused on these eternal values within a business context.

If we conducted a more in-depth study, it would probably demonstrate that the difference between faith-focused organizations and faith neutral operations was a matter of the heart. The faith-focused organization probably would demonstrate more care for the stakeholder out of sincere love than the faith-neutral operation that would emphasize “it’s good business for the bottom line to care for one’s employees.” The faith-focus would probably place greater emphasis on building the relationship and the faith-neutral would most likely emphasize the profit-side. It would be an interesting study to conduct.

For now, if your business only measures profit metrics maybe it’s time to change. How about measuring the relationships, quality of work, fulfillment of mission objectives, and conduct that demonstrates high integrity? You may be pleasantly surprised by the results. One recent Harvard study showed that about 47% of an organizations bottom-line is the result of its culture. If something that impacts almost 50% of the bottom-line is culture, how come we don’t measure its performance? Then again, when the Spirit of Christ is alive in the hearts of the employees, maybe measuring isn’t as important as just simply living the gospel in the marketplace. What do you think?

OUR PRAYER

prayer 5

Father, Lord, Holy Spirit – Thank you for expressing your life in creation. We see you in us. We see you in the order of the universe. We see you in organizations that flourish. Help us to learn from you. Help us to instill in our workplaces your characteristic values. Help us to employ your economic values in relationships, work, and decisions. Whatever we do help us to live your gospel of the Kingdom, grace, and fruitfulness in the marketplace. Let our lives express you and glorify you in everything we say, think, and do.

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.