Year: 2015

God Loves YOU

Dr. Mike Life in Christ ,
“…for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me (Jesus) and have believed that I came from God.” John 16:27 ESV

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How do you know that God loves you? Is it, like the children’s Sunday school song, only because the Bible tells you so?

We have a man in our small group who enjoys sharing his walk with the Lord. He reminds us continually that he had no problem believing that God loves everyone at our table except him. That it took a crisis in his life where he came to realize that he only survived because of the grace of God. That God poured out his love to him through the people in his world. He came to realize how much God loves him by the fruit produced through the unconditional love of others.

How about you? Do you know God really, really loves YOU?

The above scripture is one of my favorites in regards to God’s love. It reminds me that God loves us not because of our talents, treasurers, or good works. He loves us because of Jesus Christ.

When we acknowledge, believe, and know that Jesus is the Messiah of the Bible, that he came from God on a mission of redemption, and our heartfelt, emotional focus is to immerse ourselves in him, he assures us that His Father loves us. These are Jesus’ words to us.

God loves YOU! He views us through the heart of Jesus. This is why Jesus is so important to us. Without him, we try to win God’s approval through our personal efforts. We are like the confused teenager trying to impress the girl he fantasizes over. The outcome though is childish and usually ends in embarrassment. Instead we need to realize the love that God has for Jesus is the same love he bestows on you and me.

So the next time you question God’s love for you, remember this scripture. And instead rejoice in our King and Savior.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
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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I Am Me-ish

Dr. Mike Life in Christ
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Gn. 3:6 ESV

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The doctrine of Original Sin is a viewpoint held by many in the Christian faith. In its simple understanding, it states that every person is born in a state of Sin from day one. Which means that every person born starts life depraved by God. I’ve always had a problem with this concept until recently. For how could a loving, good God create something that was imperfect?

The fact is God didn’t create junk. When he made Man & Woman, He stated “very good.” However when our first parents decided to fulfill their personal desires that included rebellion against God, the goodness of God retreated and the void was replaced with sin.

Original Sin is simply the absence of God within a person’s life. In the garden of Eden, there was also the tree of life (GN. 3:22). Adam and Eve could have eaten that tree first, but didn’t. Instead the path chosen led some 4,000 years later to the initial visit of Jesus Christ who became our sacrificial offering and representative before God. He paved the way for a new birth via the Holy Spirit.

Our original parents could have eaten from the tree of life then and receive the Spirit. However, humanity likes to make things harder on themselves rather than just accept the process that started on Pentecost morning when the Holy Spirit birth the Church.

What does that have to do with being Me-ish? Simply without God’s Spirit we are operating totally from a self-centered perspective. We view and operate within the world from our central heart. However, when God’s Spirit makes his residence within you, you become a new creation. You begin to view life through the eyes of the Creator God. You now seek solutions that involves your neighbor and God and you. You no longer operate from a ME-ish position. Instead you operate from a Kingdom of God worldview. Your platform becomes your means to express God’s way while loving your neighbor and yourself in the process.

Eve was Me-ish when she satisfied her desires without taking God and future mankind into consideration. Are we any different? Only because of the grace of God via the Holy Spirit are we different.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
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!

To Know

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,
“But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” MT. 22:29 ESV
“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3 ESV

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In the book of Luke, the 4th chapter verses 1-13, reveals how Jesus was tempted by the devil after fasting for forty days. During his encounter with the evil one, there is a battle of Will. Jesus is tempted with economic, political, and religious offers. If he pursues the devil’s offer, he would reneged on his mission. We know the outcome. Jesus did resist the well packaged, attractive offers and went on to fulfill His Father’s objectives.

There are those Bible teachers that state Jesus won simply because he quoted scripture. That because He verbally stated scripture, that the devil was obliged to stand back. Yet didn’t the devil himself quote scripture to Jesus? If that was the case, then wouldn’t Jesus have to likewise step back? No, I believe the reason the devil retreated was simply because Jesus knew God’s position on each carnal temptation. In knowing, he resisted the devil’s offer and the devil therefore fled (James 4:7).

To know scripture is to know God’s character, values, and position on each relevant topic. When we come to know scripture as an expression of its Author, and when we align ourselves with the Maker of this reality, we then begin to walk with Him. When we know that we know His values, we begin to live-out those attributes in our own lives. We then begin to experience the abundant life that God originally created for us but was stolen by Satan. Whatever the topic, we study and learn what God’s position is on it, and we begin to live-out His reality. As we live-out True reality, we come to know more about God and His Ways. We begin to truly experience the with God-life.

To know is the assurance of God. To know something as an idea is the first step toward the process. Yet to know something because you lived through it, is a deeper level of knowledge. This is the level of knowledge that we need to seek with God.

When we use scripture as the basis of learning about God, and then begin to faithfully live-out that reality, we only then begin to experience the grace-filled, life-giving adventure of being a master apprentice of Jesus Christ.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Director & Founder
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!