Year: 2017

Your Vocation Is Your Ministry

Dr. Mike Business & Faith
1 Peter 4:10
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ESV.

One of the more difficult aspects of Christ-like living is restructuring our thinking. It is said that re-learning takes three times more effort than learning it correctly in the beginning. For most of us, we are typically set in our habits, thought patterns, and perceptions within the first 20% of our lifetime. The remainder years we either spend fine tuning them or redressing them. As a Believer, we most likely will spend more time morphing into a new creation where our new friends and family members wouldn’t even recognize the old person of yesterday.

One of the areas we slowly begin to change is our perception of ministry. Initially we may see ministry as something the church leadership does. Later we may see ministry as those other people helping the less fortunate. It is only later that we see ministry more broadly as simply serving those around us.

Somewhere in time we in the western world have been educated to believe that ministry is something spiritual and every other occupation as secular. Yet the Bible shows us that God sees everything as spiritual AND physical. He doesn’t segregate the two. He knows we need both the physical elements to live and breathe and the Spirit to live up to our human potential.

A good example is work.

How does God provide food, clothing, and shelter to people? Isn’t it through people who are gifted in the specialties of their roles within the business community? As these people serve one another are they not exercising their gifts in their service for one another?

When the early Church ordained deacons to serve the widows and orphans they selected men full of the Spirit of God and gifted for the responsibilities. God has ordained the institutions for the role of providing human care. From government, family, education, medical, law, business, entertainment, etc., God provides a place for all of us to serve one another with the gifts He has graced us with.

So the next time you feel less worthy in your vocation, remember God has gifted you to serve others. Your role is just as important as any pastor or church minister in the eyes of God. Therefore ask yourself, how can you best serve others in your marketplace?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

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Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Dull, Blind & Ignorant

Dr. Mike Life in Christ

Acts 28:25-27
“The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
“‘Go to this people, and say,
“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’ ESV.

Do you recall a time when you looked but never actual saw what was happening? Or heard someone speak to you, but never really grasp what they were saying? Or even acknowledged the factual answer but never truly understood the significance?

When the apostle Paul preached the gospel to the Jewish leaders at Rome, his frustration came through by finishing his discourse with the above passage from Isaiah.  He basically called his audience a people with dull hearing, blind eyes, and intellectually ignorant of God. Yet he also gave them a way out. If they were willing to acknowledge their inability to hear, see, comprehend and accept his message, they will be healed by God.

The Bible calls this repentance. To make a 180 degree turn from self to God; away from sin and toward holiness; away from prioritizing your estate as #1, to serving Jesus and His Kingdom as the primary focus of your life.

It is not until an addict can acknowledge their problem, before healing can take place. The same with God. Until a person can accept the reality of their hopelessness apart from God, healing cannot take place.

So if you can hear, see, and know but are having trouble listening, perceiving, and comprehending, maybe it’s time to do some serious business with our Lord and Savior. He is a professional at restoring life to His original intention. He can do the same with you.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

 

 

Bold Confidence

Dr. Mike Life in Christ

Ephesians 3:12
in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. ESV.

The Hebrew view of faith from the old testament emphasized Chutzpah or high confidence rather than just a mental exercise. This concept is also re-emphasized in the new testament from the Book of Hebrews. Faith is more about knowing you know because of the living experiences you walked through rather than just an analytical dream you conceive in your mind. We sometimes like to make practical applications into something religiously mystical. But faith is that bold confidence your body, soul, and mind expresses when you are faced with a challenge or opportunity.

How is this faithful confidence built? Isn’t it through life’s experiences? When we try something new and learned from the experience, don’t we grow our confidence? When we try and fail or succeed at something, don’t we gain confidence in the process? Isn’t it the same in our relationship with our Lord?

Yes we can have confidence apart from our Lord and in ourselves or abilities. But that isn’t the bold confidence we are speaking about here. That confidence is built solely on human skills and abilities and will eventually fail you. The Chutzpah we are writing about is that bold confidence you develop when you leaned on the Lord and in hindsight you know he carried you through the ordeal.

It is eating food and drinking water every day for forty years in the desert like the nation of Israel in their exodus march. It is like a teenager defeating a lion and a bear to defend his family’s sheep like David. It is a beauty pageant winner standing before the autocratic King risking her life to save her nation from genocide like Deborah. It is a confidence built through the actual experience of trusting God.

It starts with the small things in life and grows from there.

We all have been given faith by the Holy Spirit. But unless you use it, you will never experience the joy of knowing your heavenly Father and the riches He shares with His children.

Faith is fully alive when confidence exudes boldness. But it only starts when you place your trust in the God of reality.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
Author of e-Books:

*  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
*  Great Business Emulates a Good God
*  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
*  Simply The Messenger
*  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved