2025

Upside-Down World

Dr. Mike 2025 , , , , , , ,

And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, Acts 17:6

_____

You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?   Isaiah 29:16

We live in an upside-down world and consider this normal. We accept the status quo. This is the way it is. Yet deep down inside each person is longing for something better. There is more than the media, education, and government influencers broadcast before us. But the culture has us trapped within its power. We play along. At the end of the day, we are tired, bored, and unfulfilled. But we arise the next day and parade through the same game. We are trapped within society’s minefield. We want out, but where does one go? Who does one believe? Which road produces a life worth living?

God created a world of beauty and order. Everything has a place and purpose. As science uncovers the intrinsic workings of the universe, a Master Designer emerges. Yet humanity is not happy with how things operate. Instead of aligning themselves with the Master Creator, they search for something else. In such a vacuum, today’s ungodly influencers take the place of our Creator. They establish culture’s norms.

For example, they say you are racist. Their solution: be more racist.

They say you are not to judge. Their solution: allow criminal actions go unpunished.

They say everything is stacked against you. Their solution: let the government take care of you.

They say the world is coming to an end due in a global crisis. You can fill in the latest fear mongering, one-sided projected forecast. In my lifetime it has included nuclear fallout, over-population, and climate change. Their solution: give them more money and attention. Then surrender your lives over to them to help solve the problem/cause.

They say women rights are more important than life. Their solution: abort the unborn human so their rights are protected.

They say there are more than two genders. Their solution: pass laws to force their beliefs upon you.

They say marriage and family is old school. Their solution: do whatever feels personally pleasurable without concern for the children.

The list is endless.

When God is removed from the equation, the world evolves toward the darkness of life. What is evil becomes good. What is harmful becomes acceptable. What is beautiful risks destruction.

Standards of righteousness is then established by those with money or power. Justice becomes blind. Culture accepts only those who adhere to their corrupted values.

When Jason (Acts 17:6) was accused by the city gang for turning the world upside down is an example of man’s view of the situation. But Jesus reminds us throughout Scripture that HIS kingdom ways are the norm. When we practice his ways and prioritize his values the Kingdom flourishes. But, when we disregard HIS ways, we experience life outside of HIS favor. Our world ends up surrounded by the darkness of sin.

When you capture the vision of Christ’s Kingdom, you can only pray for HIM to return sooner than later. But until then, HE allows us to live under HIS Kingdom today. We can experience a small taste of heavenly bliss in this life now. As we live out the good news of HIS Kingdom, others may notice and want to also share life with HIM. HIS world, HIS way, HIS teachings are the norm. The sooner we allow HIM to live HIS life through us, the easier we will see how upside-down today’s culture really is.

The good news is you don’t have to play their game. You can order your life around Jesus and HIS Kingdom. When you do, you will internally experience the richness of life the way God does. You may not have all the surrounding material trappings of this upside-down world. But you will have the eternal treasures of living under HIS domain with HIS grace and favor.

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)

Aspirations and Writings Neatly Bound in Book Formats: * indicates audio version now available
at Apple Books

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Judge Rightly

Dr. Mike 2025 , , , ,

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”   John 7:24

_____

The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 1 Corinthians 2:15

_____

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!  1 Corinthians 6:3

These past several weeks, I have become aware of a misconception some of us in the Lord are making. The idea that we are not to judge anyone. Most often someone takes Luke 6:37 or Matthew 7:1 without applying context into the Scripture.

These two Scriptures emphasize the standard of measurement you use when judging others. That we are to be aware of our words and refrain from being hypocritical. It does not mean we are not to judge others, but be cautious how we are to judge.

As Christ-followers, we are instructed to judge under the rule of God’s Kingdom. As the apostle Paul writes in 1st Corinthians, we are being prepared to judge angels in the new age to come. This life is the training ground of learning how to judge rightly.

In fact, whenever someone states we are not to judge, isn’t that a judgement statement?

How are you to determine if the fruit of the tree is good to eat or not? Are you not making a judgement?

Are you not judging when the car in front of you is swerving between lanes? You don’t know if the person is drunk, in the middle of a medical emergency, or trying to text while driving. Yet don’t you exercise caution in the situation?

When you interview a job candidate, are you not prejudging them?

When hiring a company to mow your lawn, are you not making a judgement on their work and ability to perform?

When you vote for a political candidate, are you not making a judgement?

We are making judgements all day long. The question is what criteria are we using as our basis.

As Christ-followers, we are students of HIS Kingdom. We are learning to govern ourselves and others HIS way. To do so means we need to know HIS heart and words on the matter. So yes, this is another reason to study the Bible.

For this life is a learning process preparing one for eternity with Jesus. One of the traits we all need to learn is how to judge rightly. It begins with walking with King Jesus. As we walk with HIM, communicate with HIM, and share life with HIM, HIS ways rub off on us. As we stray from HIM, we are disciplined. We learn how love and justice is applied. As we support HIM, we enjoy the righteous fruit of HIS Kingdom. As we study HIS ways and apply them, we grow in the faith. We gain wisdom along the way and grow spiritually mature. This is how we learn to judge from God’s perspective. We learn to judge not by our standards but based on the righteousness of Jesus.

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)

Aspirations and Writings Neatly Bound in Book Formats: * indicates audio version now available
at Apple Books

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Potty Trained

Dr. Mike 2025 , , , ,

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:11-14

Recently came back from visiting our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. The family is currently training our granddaughter how to use the toilet. She is two-and-half years old and plans to start attending nursery school in the fall. But, she needs to be potty trained before acceptance.

This weekend, she was at the stage of being aware of the need. Yet lacked the willpower to stop what she was doing to take care of business. So, the adults in the room would always check-in with her whenever she began to twitch. At first she would ignore the reminder and continue her play. Other times, she would agree and rush to the bathroom.

It is a process we all had to learn. Some of us quickly pick it up. Others take longer. The same can be said about our walk with Jesus.

Initially, we hear the good news. We begin to investigate. We read material from third-party sources. Then we begin to read the Bible ourselves. Like other material we read and master, we begin to practice its teachings. But somewhere we hit the spiritual wall. Our lives are still a mesh. We become frustrated with our growth. We become tired of pushing ourselves away from the temptations. We become confused through all the various influencers on social media. In some ways, it’s like being potty trained. We know the importance of the toilet, but are too busy with what we are doing to stop. We don’t grasp the importance of the moment. We again miss the mark. Sin spoils our life again.

Discipleship involves training the willpower to do good at all times. To recognize evil and have the wisdom and maturity to overcome it. In many ways, it is like being potty trained. When the moment arises, one can do nothing and experience the messy consequence. Or one can find the toilet and manage the discharge quick and efficiently. The same is true in our Christian journey.

We begin with attaining knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. But failure to execute what we know doesn’t complete the task. We are instructed to renew our minds. To transform our thinking under the governance of God’s Kingdom. But it also requires help from the adults in the room. Church elders who are working along with the Holy Spirit to nudge you toward maturity. To assist you to become the person God has wired you to be in Christ.

Yes, one may say the maturity process begins when one is potty trained.

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)

Aspirations and Writings Neatly Bound in Book Formats:

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-Present | Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved