2024

Saved From What?

Dr. Mike 2024 , ,

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.   Matthew 7:14-15

Jesus saves, Esposito scores.

As a young teenager this was our joke line. (Esposito was a high scoring hockey player at the time). Whenever someone approached us about Jesus and salvation this is how we replied. At that time, there was no correlation between life as a teen and Jesus. The entire discussion was unrelated to a young man trying to enjoy life while growing up. Words like sin, heaven, hell, and regeneration were not even in my vocabulary.

The message of Jesus just wasn’t relevant. The same can be said today for many who look at the religious Jesus as a myth of yesterday. There is a vast communication problem between the Church and the world. In many ways it looks like the world is winning. But we know differently. We may lose the battle, but Jesus has already won the war.

And it starts with one person at a time hearing the relevant message of Jesus. As the spiritual cylinders click in alignment, one captures the vision and life is never the same.

Yes, if a young man approached me today and ask “saved from what”, this is how I may respond.

Jesus came to save you from yourself, from the world, and from HIS enemies that want to destroy you. Jesus wants you to experience your potential. To enjoy everything good and wholesome that HE has created for you. You are uniquely designed for a meaningful and purposeful life. But the world is brainwashing you.

There are those who are pawns of supernatural forces that want to make you subservient to them. They will do anything in their power to distract you from God’s purpose for your life. The battle is primary for your mind, soul, and spirit. If they capture your inner world, your outer world is theirs forever.

They come in many different forms. They are governments, corporate businesses, and non-profit organizations. They first capture your attention and then begin to play with your mind. They hook you through entertainment. The movies. The music. The fashion. The educational systems. The news media. They know who you are and present their products and services to get your attention. They promise you utopia, but never deliver. They are masters of their craft. But their lives are empty. They themselves are crying out for help, but are caught in the roller coaster of the machine. They are afraid to jump off. They are looking for a savior, but in all the wrong places.

Enter Jesus. The God-Man who walked the talk. Divinity clothed in skin. The first of HIS kind. A man who was tempted by power, money, and fame. But denied himself to serve HIS God and mission. HE fulfilled Scripture written hundreds of years before HIS arrival on earth. The probability of one person fulfilling all HE did is next to impossible. But HE did. HE proved to the world HE was and is who HE claimed to be. God resurrected HIM from the grave after a brutal death. Naturally impossible, but then only a God can supersede the physical laws of nature.

HE started a movement. HIS message of a way of life that allows people to live life now to the fullest began to transform the world. People joined the movement. Lives changed. Hope became alive. But somewhere in history, the message became distorted. The good news became abridged. The message of God’s kingdom being available now on earth disappeared. Instead, the message became focused on the future. Accept Jesus and you will live for eternity in heaven. The now was being postpone for tomorrow.

It is easier to recruit converts by promising them utopia. The Church message spun into a worldly religion and into the 21st century as a commodity to consume. The power of the gospel message dissipated. But the Spirit didn’t back away. Renewals occurred. People still experienced the power of the Spirit in their lives. God isn’t going away. People may move the institution away from God, but God still remains with HIS people.

Saved from what?

The Bible writes about sin. Sin is the outcome of living life apart from God. Without God, one will live a life that causes anxiety, worry, and loneliness. Do you know anyone suffering from such emotional behavior? Jesus came and revealed a way of life to save one from such negative traits.

He brought heaven to earth via HIS kingdom. HE made HIS kingdom available for everyone. But you must first submit your kingdom under HIS authority. When you do, HE will bring HIS Father and Spirit with HIM to live HIS life in and through you. You will discover a way of life that produces real freedom and fulfillment. You will flourish emotionally. You will produce Godly fruit through your life. HIS love, joy, and peace will become the anchor of your soul. You will belong to a family who reigns in life.

What HE saves you from are the poisons this world throws at you and your neighbor. You find your spirit grows more and more like HIS. You develop defenses to protect yourself from the enemy. You even develop a swagger in your walk. You have come to know your heavenly Father. You have a Friend in Jesus. You also have a coach and trainer in the Holy Spirit. You are in good hands no matter what happens in this life. For you are HIS child. You get to play on HIS turf. And you know you have a home for eternity with HIM.

What does Jesus save you from? HE saves you from yourself and HIS enemies so you may live life to the fullest with HIM now and for all eternity.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Practicing Godliness

Dr. Mike 2024, Uncategorized , , ,

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.   1 Timothy 4:7-8

What if we pursue godliness with the same intensity as career professionals? As athletes craft their trade. As body builders train themselves for maximum performance.

How would that change your life?

Yet, how many of us are like the weekend athlete? We dream of the opportunity to play like a professional. But are unwilling to commit and pay the price of change. We treat the activity as a hobby and not a life-commitment. Yet is not training for godliness what being an apprentice of Jesus is about?

The challenge many of us may have is capturing a picture of what godliness looks like. Few of us have had healthy role models to emulate. The ones we may have experienced were probably religious zealots. They caused more pain and sorrow in everyone’s life. They were the anti-role models. The encounter with them left us with a bitter taste in our mouth.

But, there are those of us who witness and shared time with godly people. They exemplified the life of the Biblical Jesus. We are most grateful. We had a positive glimpse of the character of God in action.

Yet God doesn’t leave us on our own. When one comes to know the Triune God, Father/Son/Spirit, one slowly discovers a life worth imitating. Though God is invisible, HE leaves HIS markings all around us.

The beauty of creation. The design and operation of the human body. The strategic plan of salvation. Everything around us shows off HIS workmanship. Everything made is a reflection of HIM.

So when we acknowledge humans are made to reflect HIS image, the groundwork is laid. The goal now is to become more like HIM. The question is how?

Enter Jesus Christ. When we study into HIS life, we witness God in the flesh. Jesus stated when you look at HIM you are also looking at our Father God. When one knows Jesus has been resurrected and now lives to intercede for us, we have a high priest to minister us. We also allow the Holy Spirit entrance into our heart. We now have a coach ready to assist us to make godliness real in our life.

How? By practicing God’s ways in the routine of everyday life.

We may start with the basics. Look at how the early church in Acts 2 practiced godliness. They began to train themselves through four basic disciplines. They gain knowledge under the teaching of the apostles. They shared meals together. They fellowship together. They prayed. Over the centuries, different saints also practiced other disciplines found in the Bible. They included meditation, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, fasting, and, silence. There are many more practices than these. These are just a few for one to select from depending how the Spirit is working with you. 

One also needs to be careful and not turn the practice into a legalistic approach to living. Instead, the discipline is a way to attune yourself to God and HIS grace. The process is an indirect way of strengthening one’s relationship with the living God. As one does, one finds themselves slowly becoming more like HIM in character. Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another is a Biblical proverb. The same can be said about practicing godliness. The more we hang out with Father/Son/Spirit, the more we will catch HIS ways.

In fact, one of my favorite disciplines is to live under the presence of Jesus and HIS Kingdom in every area of my life. Yes, there are many moments when the reality hits that I haven’t totally surrender my all to HIM. That always reminds me that there is much work HE has yet to do in me. It keeps me humble and appreciating HIS grace on a regular basis. As we surrender each corner of our kingdom, HE continues to share HIS vast richness of life with us each day. Yes we practice every day to be prepared for the moment of truth. For we have learned that practicing godliness is good for daily living and for the life to come.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Sin’s Red-line

Dr. Mike 2024 , ,

“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”   Mark 14:38

When do you know you have crossed the line with sin?

I remember once hearing Dallas Willard discuss the process of sin. He explained the difference between a bad thought, temptation, and the actual sin. His teaching help clarify the process. He made us more aware to catch oneself before entering the alienation minefield. He outlined the process as three levels.

First there is the sinful thought that enters your mind. This is not sin. This is only the idea or concept. The question is what will you do with the thought.

If the thought is not removed, then the person will begin to move into the temptation level. This is where your thought meets the inclination to perform. You haven’t completed the act, but you are now leaning toward the possibility. The moment of truth has arrived for a decision. Will you or will you not? This is what temptation is.

If your character and spiritual formation is strong, you will likely choose wisely. The temptation will only be a temporary lure. You know the ugliness of sin and will refrain from the enticement. What we may not realize at first is sin also lives within our habits. We have unbeknownst in most cases trained our habits to sin. This is why we need to put into practice regular means of grace.

But if you are weak and unprepared with little character strength, what then? For sin is when you act out your thought and inclination. It is sin even if you don’t perform the deed but would do so if the conditions were right. This is why Jesus said if you had lust in your heart you have already committed the sin. The challenge is to train oneself in godliness. To have the willpower to push yourself away from the temptation. And humanity apart from God fails at it.

One needs to be born again with the Spirit of God to regenerate the heart. Then pursue a life of sanctification. This is the process to transform the human spirit and will after the likeness of Jesus Christ. This path is a high adventure with failures and successes. As we put forth the effort, God supplies us with HIS grace in the areas we are currently failing at. But over time, as we lean more and more on HIM, the inner soul is being modified after the character of Jesus himself. And we don’t take credit for the success. For we know it is only because of the grace from God we succeed.

Yes, this is a long process. But we know we are HIS workmanship. So whatever failure and successes we experience is a reflection of our weakness or HIS glory. But it requires our cooperation. If we keep failing, is it because we are not cooperating with HIM? Do we need to do more business with HIM? Or don’t we understand the life of a disciple of HIS? But then again, maybe you are becoming more like HIM than you realize. You may have higher expectations of yourself than God has of you. Maybe HE is working on something else. All this while you are struggling with what you consider more important. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, focus on Jesus. Learn from HIM. Integrate all you learn into your everyday life. And watch as God grows you into HIS masterpiece.

And yes, it helps when you know where the red-line is in your choices.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

Books By Dr. Mike:

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved