Year: 2016

What Must You Do To Inherent Eternal Life?

Dr. Mike Bible Life Questions , ,
And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18 ESV.

ruler 2

This question came from a rich ruler who sought the answer from Jesus. Jesus in His usually manner went right to the ruler’s heart. He started by stating five of the Ten Commandments which relate to human relationship. The ruler replied that he has kept these from his youth. Then Jesus threw the zinger at him. Jesus knew that the one major area of the ruler’s life that came between God and him was his wealth. Therefore, Jesus told him there was one thing he lacked. Too sell his possessions and follow him.

Many Bible teachers emphasize the first part of Jesus’ reply rather than the last part. The emphasis they place is on the wealth rather than on Jesus. Many Christians even today struggle with the answer. What Jesus stated and repeated later is that man doesn’t have the capacity within himself apart of God to do anything that earns him eternal life.

Jesus recognized the idol of wealth in the rich ruler’s heart. He offered him the opportunity to join him right then and there. Yet the decision to sell everything was more than he could do. Like many of us, we come to the place where we realize we can’t do what only God can do. We do not have the sole capacity to do anything to earn eternal life.

Only the Triune God can change a person’s heart. When the Holy Spirit resides and moves within a person’s life, transformation occurs. Only God can replace a stony, hard heart with a soft, pliable one. That is why Jesus stated shortly thereafter that what is impossible for man is possible with God.

We all have idols in our lives. Typically idols are good things in life. However, we make them the ultimate thing. And when they become the ultimate thing, they replace God’s position in our life. That is what makes an idol. Wealth, family, career, education, and food are all good things. However, when they become the most important treasure of our heart, then God is being replaced by a forgery. God knows that we are wired and operate fully human when He is the center of our life. When something else takes that place, we suffer and never experience the rich relationship with Him and others. This is what Jesus saw in the rich ruler.

Jesus gave the rich ruler the opportunity to follow Him. Whether the rich ruler eventually came to follow Jesus or not, we are not told. However, Scripture does reveal to us today that eternal life is God’s gift to us for those who believe in Jesus Christ (1 John 5:11).

So if you haven’t done business with your Maker, maybe today is a good time to look into the life of Jesus and learn what He has to say about your life now and for all eternity.

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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Where Are You?

Dr. Mike Bible Life Questions ,
“But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9 ESV.

where are you4

Right after Adam and Eve rebelled against God, they hid. Now the Lord God could have easily disappeared from their lives. He could have easily justified their outcome as abnormal behavior and immediately eliminated them from the face of the earth. Wouldn’t it have been easier to start over again rather than play out the current scenario?

Yet God, always in control of every situation, let the events unfold as they did. We learn early that God allows many of our decisions to play out. He is not fearful of our choices. He knows that whatever we decide He is capable of bringing out the end result that he desires. There may be hiccups, bumps, and delays along the way, but the end will be His divine plan. The only real question is whether or not we will participate with him in the process.

Notice that Adam and Eve hid, not God. When we sin, God doesn’t hide from us. On the contrary. He is always there. Sin simply blinds us from God. Sin produces a silent wall of fear that prevents us from seeing God as He is. We see it here with Adam and Eve. We see it throughout Scriptures. We see it in our own life.

God knows our makeup. Jesus changed everything. He is the reason for the season. He came and experienced life in the flesh, but without sin. He knows temptation. He knows the evil that lurks in man’s heart. He also knows the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. He made everything possible for you and I to enjoy life the way Creator God designed it to be.

So how about you? Where are you in relationship with Jesus Christ? Are you still hiding from the best friend you will ever have? Are you ashamed of His Lordship? Or do you simply feel spiritually naked? Or are you confused about who and what Jesus Christ means to the world and to you personally?

No matter where you are in life, Jesus wants you to know how excellent His Kingdom (government) is compared to anything you have ever seen or known or dream about. When you acknowledge his role as Savior and Lord, you begin the process of transformation. It is a process that makes Jesus come more alive in your life as you quit rebelling against the King of Kings.

Before one can recite the alphabet to the letter “Z”, one must know where one needs to begin. Unless told otherwise, we normally start at the beginning with the letter “A.” How about you? Where are you in your relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you need to start at “A” or somewhere else? No matter where you are, He is closer to you than you will ever realize. The real question though is where are you?

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 your Friends…Share Today’s Message!

Which Way Lord?

Dr. Mike Bible Life Questions , ,
“whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1John 2:6 ESV.

which way 1

Lost. A concept that means you must already have a home or destination but just don’t know how to get there. If you had a home and knew where and how to get there, you wouldn’t be lost. You also can’t be lost if you are home. However, you can be in a home and still be lost, if the home you are in is not yours. Sometimes you may not even be aware that you are lost.

How many of us during a long trip made a turn thinking we are on the correct road only to find one hour later that we are incorrect. And even then, many of us will not admit it. We will stubbornly keep searching to protect our human self. We are too prideful to stop and ask for help.

Most of the time when we come to a fork in the road, we have to decide which way is best. If we have been that way before, the decision is easy. However, if everything is a first time experience, then we must rely on outside sources. Which source are you going to rely on first? The road signs already in place? Your traveling companions? Your GPS?

In the journey through life we are going to find ourselves in places and situations that are going to require us to rely on outside sources. The question becomes which source are you going to rely on first?

As believers we have been born anew with a new Spirit. This new Spirit the Bible identifies as The Holy Spirit. He is recognized as the third-person of the Triune God. His purpose is many-fold. However one primary purpose is to lead us into all truth glorifying Jesus in the process (John 16:13). In fact, wherever He is, so is Jesus and Father God. Paul writes that this is a wonderful mystery. That Lord Jesus lives in us (Colossians 1:27).

Therefore, if Christ lives in you via the Holy Spirit, why search elsewhere for the direction or answer you seek? Prayer and Faith are means of grace that allow us to stand before our Lord seeking Him first in our life. When we meditate on how God intervened with previous saints, we quickly recognize who lives in us. As we yield to our Lord’s authority, walk in His presence 24/7, and keep Him as the center of our life, His graciousness and compassion flows from Him to you and I. So does His way of life. To walk as He walked may be radical too some, but for us who know, there is no better way to experience real life to the fullest.

In fact, the deeper your relationship becomes with Jesus, the more often the first question that comes out of your mouth is “which way Lord?” And as you learn to listen and follow, the results are more often than not, better than you would ever expect on your own.

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 your Friends…Share Today’s Message!