Month: June 2015

YOU, Inc

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Jesus Apprentice , , ,

 

“Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.” Proverbs 2: 9:15 ESV

you inc 1

Everyone of us can be viewed as an incorporated entity: a YOU, Inc. As the CEO of YOU, Inc. you have talents, abilities, and skills that you market and operate with each day. Your impact toward those around you is a direct correlation between how well you exercise your God-given attributes to solve the problems of those you serve.

One of the primary function of every CEO of YOU, Inc. is to make decisions. Your ability to make wise judgments that impact your future and the future of those around you separates the mature adult from the immature child.

Since we are apprentices of Jesus, we are likewise being prepared for leadership in the world tomorrow (Rev. 5:10, 20:6). The one function of all leaders is to make godly decisions. The Bible even states when the righteous are in positions of leadership, good happens. (Proverbs 2) When decisions are based on eternal values, the people rejoice. When decisions are made like Solomon (1 Kings 3:16:28), people nod their heads in approval. When decisions are based on reality that includes the heavenly and earthly, even the angels rejoice (Luke 15:10).

We are all being trained to make wise decisions. One discipline that is practiced by many apprentices is through the continual reading of Scripture. For example, some read the Book of Proverbs on a monthly cycle; one chapter for each day of a 31 day month. Others make it a habit to read the entire Bible each year via a different translation. Then others study the interaction
of people within scriptures to better understand the problem, the solution implemented, and the outcome.

When one has a clear focus of God’s domain, a deep commitment for the Divine life, and abide heavily in Christ, one learns good from evil. One learns Godly values that produce fruitful results. One learns to view life through the eyes of the God of the universe.

Bottom-line: If you want to learn the art of making better choices, exercise your prerogative of learning from the best teacher of decision making: Jesus Christ.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Founder & Executive Director
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Vocational Discipleship

Dr. Mike Business & Faith ,
“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 ESV

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What is your favorite church program? Sunday school, women’s ministry, choir, praise band, small groups, bible studies, missions, etc. My answer may surprise you. The reason why may even challenge your #1 choice.

Of all the programs I have been associated with over the last forty plus years, the one with the greatest impact in my life and in the life of many others is discipleship. Not just being mentored on how to live in Christ, but how to live each day in the workplace with, in, and through Christ. So when we speak about vocational discipleship, we are emphasizing how to integrate faith with our vocational calling.

The reason vocational discipleship rates so high in my book is it takes every area of one’s life into consideration. Most of us will spend more than a third of our waking hours working in the marketplace. When one practices the discipline of following Christ through mutual submission with another believer who likewise has surrendered his business kingdom to our Lord, personal and cultural transformation is exciting to witness.

Through discipleship one learns and puts into practice leadership, serving, giving, loving, communicating, and over one hundred other attributes that imitates our Triune God.

So when vocational discipleship is the prime program of every church, members exercise their gifts and talents for God’s glory and for the sake of others in the immediate church community as well as outside their four walls. Church becomes more relevant when one sees how God is involved in everyday life within the marketplace. In addition, vocational discipleship lays the ground work for saints to capture more ground for God’s Kingdom. Church becomes a 24/7 activity.

The believer grows to trust and rely everyday on God’s faithfulness and grace through the challenges and opportunities presented in the marketplace. When You see God move through the workplace each day, your faith and witness becomes stronger. You learn leadership by following your King’s lead. As you follow the Spirit’s lead, you relate with others by how God relates with you.

So if you have time to become involved with only one church program, my recommendation is vocational discipleship. If your church doesn’t have such a program, maybe the time has come to start one.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Founder & Executive Director
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Infectious

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , ,
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 ESV

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C. S. Lewis once stated that we can’t teach the Divine life, it must be caught. It took me many, many years to realize what he meant.

Like oxygen, we need to breathe it in to catch it.

Jesus stated it in another way. We need to be born again (Jn. 3:5). He also prayed that we would be one with him and his father (Jn. 17:11). Again, indicating that something must happen first before we can truly experience the divine life.

When one catches this divine virus, one’s heart begins a process of renovation. The Jeremiah heart of stone (Jeremiah 17:9) turns into a Spirit infected heart (Romans 5:5). The mind begins a transformation to rethink its position in the world (Romans 12:2). One’s perspective of reality shifts into a Triune God worldview.

Life takes on a new purpose. Meaning & values become align with the work of the Great Designer. The divine infection leads to a divine marriage relationship between the universe’s Greatest Lover and yourself.

You can’t teach this via rules, principles, or lectures. It is only caught when you hang out with the Creator of your soul. How about making today one of those days?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Founder & Executive Director
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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