Essays

IS IT NOT EASIER TO DRIVE FORWARD THAN IN REVERSE?

Dr. Mike Essays , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A DISCIPLE’S PRAYER:

 PRAY 9

Our Faithful, Heavenly Dad:

You are a faithful Father. You are committed to your plan. You are committed to your relationships. You are committed to your work. You are committed to your Word. And you are committed to me.

Thank you for caring. Thank you for giving me the gift of faith. But help me in my disbelief. Help me with my doubts. Remove any obstacle that prevents us from have a totally committed relationship. Always be the first and center in my life. Help me put the effort and time in our relationship. Let there be nothing that ever comes between us. Let your Faith live powerfully in my life. Let it flow from me and touch the lives of others. Let you be glorified in all my actions, thoughts, and deeds. Help me be totally committed in our relationship. Help me make the time to walk with you, to pray with you, to study with you, to meditate with you, to fast with you, to party with you, and to play with you.

Thank you for everything that you do. But more importantly, thank you for being you. As always we ask and pray these things in our Lord’s Name. Amen.

 

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But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62

 

 

      In today’s language, we would say that the kingdom of God requires total commitment.  It’s faith in action. It’s total abandonment. Anything less is a road to failure.

It’s like driving down the freeway at 70 mph. But instead of focusing your eyes in the direction you are driving, you keep your eyes glued to the rear view mirror. How long do you think you could drive before causing a major accident?   It  requires total commitment. One of those action character words that everyone knows is required to be a winner in life. In our day and age that word seems to have become like the relic bones of a dinosaur. We take the few bones that we have from a dinosaur, and put them together by how we think they ought to go, not absolutely sure because no one was there to take pictures for us. So whatever we come up with is just as good as the next guy’s.

We know the “C” word, most  of us know how to spell it, pronounce it, and use it in a sentence. But to apply it in everyday life is another story. We see people enter relationships with the attitude that when it starts to take work, then we shall depart. We see people start a diet, but when the effort takes work they then resort back to their old habits. We see people start a new job, a job with great  pay, benefits,  and work  environment.  Most of  us  would consider it a dream job. But when the job requires further education, self-improvement and personal changes, then they throw up their hands and quit. It’s not worth the effort. They would rather return to their old job that pays half as much and float through life without having to change. To be totally committed in your pursuit of a worthwhile goal takes effort, work, and sweat. To persevere, until the end results are achieved, most of the time seems to take more than we can muster. This is where faith comes in. A faith not based in self-confidence, in family and friends, or in the system, but an action faith in a living God. A faith that says, “GOD IS!”

A faith built on hearing God’s word and acting on it. A faith built on living God’s word and experiencing the fruit. A belief that is built on walking with God and discovering His true character. Without faith, total abandonment looks reckless. With faith, total abandonment is the high adventure and thrill of pursuing God’s kingdom. It’s like driving down the freeway of life with the knowledge that the road was built by God, the vehicle was developed by God and the police patrolling the road are servants of God. So that no matter what obstacle may come your way, you have faith that God is in control.

So tell me, isn’t it easier to drive forward than in reverse?

Dr. Mike

 

 

What Would a Job Description Look Like Based on Luke 4:18-19?

Dr. Mike Essays, Ministry

 

          “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”    Luke 4:18-19

Work for Christ

           When a person reads the above scripture which our Lord quoted at the start of His ministry, one must first stop reading after verse eighteen to allow the total impact of that one verse to capture the real meaning of ministry. The Scripture emphasizes that the motivation comes from God through the Spirit and is not the fulfillment of a personal goal or ambition. The influence of the Holy Spirit is so strong that a person cannot run or hide from the message, but must confront the message and accept it as his/hers destiny.  It is not a personal career choice, but the acceptance of a calling from God that is demonstrated by one’s fruit and the results produced by action.

The message is an assurance that as long as the person follows the lead of the Holy Spirit in one’s ministry, one is doing God’s work and will therefore prosper (in God’s Way) and fulfill God’s intentions. When one is anointed by our Lord, his ministry and life style will reflect that of his boss.  He will be an ambassador of Christ knowing that he has been set apart to fulfill an assignment in the Kingdom of God for His glory.

If one was to prepare a job description based on this scripture, we first need to answer several questions. They include: Who are you primarily accountable to for your ministry?  What is the good news?  What is real freedom?  What is true recovery?  Who are the poor, the prisoner, the blind, and the oppressed? How do you best preach, proclaim, recover, and release? What is the Lord’s favor? When do you know your assignment is completed?

The first part identifies who you work for and who is in charge of your ministry.  It identifies whose lead you must follow and who you are answerable to. It states where your authority comes from and who your partners in ministry likewise submit to.

The first part also identifies the source of the good news.  It is not my good news, not my community’s good news, not my country’s good news, and not really even my church’s good news.  It is the good news of Jesus Christ which the Spirit reveals to those called and given ears to hear and a mind to understand. It is a message that can be verbally preached, visually preached, artistically preached, musically preached, orally preached, scriptural preached, historically preached, scientifically preached, and even genealogically preached.

The scripture likewise identifies who our “customer” is.  They are “the poor”, “the prisoner”, “the blind”, and “the oppressed.  All are conditions that may occur physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. The customer base or market literally encompasses all mankind. Every person who has ever lived falls into some category which places him under at least one of these conditions.

It focuses on the outcome and end result that is achieved through ministry. The “poor” have good news preached to them; prisoners have freedom to look forward to; the blind are able to see; the oppressed are set free; and the year of the Lord’s favor is proclaimed. The best way to communicate your message to your audience is dependent on the resources at your disposal and your strengths. The key is to identify the needs of your audience and communicate the message that applies to them.

How would you summarize the meaning of ministry as described in Luke 4:18-19? Also, if you had to make a job description from this scripture, what would you include?

Dr. Mike

How Often Do You Look Back?

Dr. Mike Essays, Jesus Apprentice , , , , , , ,

A DISCIPLE’S PRAYER:

Our Gracious Dad,

PRAY 9

            Thank you for the privilege of being a disciple of Jesus. Of all the occupations in this world, I can’t think of one that provides the challenges, fulfillment, and rewards than being a committed disciple of our Lord. We have no regrets for making the decision years ago. Our only regret is that others have not yet captured your vision. Help me live a life worthy of discipleship. Help me live a life that glorifies you.

 

            Again, thank you Jesus for clothing me with your righteousness. Thank you for being my elder Brother, Lord, Savior, and Friend. Thank you for opening the doors to have a relationship with all of you.

            Again, we thank you for you. We ask for your continual blessings in our Lord’s name.   Amen.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“For many are called, but few are chosen.” Mathew 22:14

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Can You Truly Say”There Is No Going Back Now?”

 This is one of those scriptures that always puzzles me.  Jesus states, after His parable on the wedding feast where a man  is thrown  out because he was not properly dressed, that “many are called, but few are chosen.” I have heard many interpretations of this scripture and they all seem feasible. But the one that stands out and grabs me more often relates to personal commitment.

truth 12“Many are called” refers to the millions who have heard the message of the kingdom of God and to have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Dad. “But few are chosen,” means that not all who are called are allowed to take part in the entire Christian celebration because they are not properly clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The wedding garment pictures the righteousness that comes outside of our keeping the law which includes any work or activity that we do to make ourselves right before God. When we realize what the entire sacrifice of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection truly means, we humbly accept His authority into our life. Yet to totally surrender your life to Jesus, to trust in His salvation takes faith and a personal commitment to keep moving forward no matter what happens in the process.  Jesus Himself stated that no person who looks back at what he has given up for the kingdom of God is worthy to accept His calling (Luke 9:62).

       My father emigrated from Poland via Germany to the United States after WWII. When he stepped over the boundary of Poland into Germany he left behind all his earthy possessions: his farm and blacksmith business, family, friends, and everything else we as humans cling to in this life. He stepped over the line realizing that he was never going back and that whatever he left behind was not worth what lied before him. He immigrated  into the U.S. and never regretted it. He was more blessed in this country compared to what he gave up. He made the commitment to accept the choice and pay whatever price he had to when he crossed over the line. We likewise made the decision to step over the line; the line that separates God’s Kingdom from earthly powers; the line that separates Christ-centered discipleship from church membership,  the line that separates total surrender from self-gratification. The line has been drawn. We have to make the final decision whether or not we are going to take the step. If we don’t, then we will never become a disciple of His. If we do, we have His promises, His commitment, and His future to secure us. The decision may be initially difficult to make, but when made, it brings a sense of peace and challenge into one’s life. It gives you the peace of Christ which supersedes all understanding (Phil 4:7) and the greatest challenge this life has to offer  – To be a disciple of His.

How committed are we to keep moving forward rather than look back at what we gave up?

Dr. Mike