Kingdom Paradigms

Through Faith or By Faith

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , ,
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”. Eph 2:8-9 ESV.

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Faith is given to us by God. We don’t generate Godly faith. God disperses faith (Rm. 12:3).  It is His gift to us. We simply exercise it.

We exercise faith when we walk it out and through it. Faith is not the cause of our salvation. We are not saved by faith, but by grace. We are saved (justified) by the grace of Jesus Christ.  However, by walking through the faith given to us, we are being saved (regenerated) into the image of Jesus Christ.

Poor theology places the cause of salvation with our faith. Our response is not the cause of salvation; our response is the effect of salvation. In the words of cause and effect, our salvation is caused by Jesus Christ and our response is the effect of salvation.

If our faith is the cause of salvation, then we wouldn’t need a savior. However, since Jesus Christ is the reality of salvation, we either accept that reality or not. When we accept that reality, we begin to experience the power of salvation.

A good example is gravity. We acknowledge its existence and respect its authority. Just like your belief doesn’t cause gravity to exist; you simply acknowledge the truth and live life accordingly.

So walk your life through the faith God has given you. Be grateful for the grace He has bestowed upon you. There is nothing to boast about except what God has done.

Therefore, learn to live out your life with the faith He has given you. You will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

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

Does a Friend Need Encouragement…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2016 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

 

 

Deceitful Lovers

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , ,
“I called to my lovers, but they deceived me;” Lamentations 1:19 ESV.

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We typically recognize them after the facts. In the beginning, we are infatuated, memorized, and blinded. However, if fortunate enough to break off the relationship before severe harm is perpetuated, we can look back to realize the deceitfulness of the affair and hopefully grow more mature from the experience. We have all witnessed lives destroyed by the false illusion of deceitful lovers.

For some people the lover is money. For others power, drugs, sex, pleasure, or food. Some people become involved with others who claim to love them but use them for their manipulative purpose. Over time, no matter the means, real love is distorted; the heart becomes severely wounded; and the beauty of life disappears. To find someone who truly loves you as you love them becomes a child book fantasy. You may eventually ask, “Is there anyone in this world made for me?” “How many more wounds to the heart must I take before true love is discovered?”

For most of us in search of real love, we look in all the wrong places. We have Hollywood fantasy in our minds. Or erotic fiction as our guide. Or an educational system which has polluted reality by removing the Source of all-reality. When truth of the matter is distorted, we fail to capture the best solution to the problem. Instead, we major in the minors thinking this may be the best there is.

It takes time to learn what is truly important. It takes time to mature. It also takes time and experience to truly recognize a good thing from a deceitful one. One way to speed up the process is to learn from those who have gone before us. Those who have no hidden agenda, but a shared life of love, passion, and adventure.

That is one reason to read and study the Christian Bible. There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to the human experience. The primary difference between someone living 2,000 years ago and today is technology and fashion. Otherwise, the desires, hopes, and challenges are the same.

As one studies the Book, one is introduced to the Author of Life. One quickly discovers His desire for an intimate relationship with you. By committing oneself to Him, one discovers the Source of real love, truth, and justice. Through His Words and contagious Spirit, one also learns to live, flourish, and prosper without harming others in the process. Through this abiding relationship, one comes to easily recognize lies, phony lovers, and make believe fantasies. As you listen and grow together, He leads you to people who will truly love you as you love them.

Yes fairy tales do come true when one is walking with the Author of Life who turns visions into reality. So the real question is, “why waste time with deceitful lovers when real Love awaits 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

Does a Friend Need Encouragement…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2016 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Is IT ALL About LOVE…?

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , ,

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” MT. 22:36-40 ESV.

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Sometimes (maybe even most of the time) we lose our focus and pursue the latest Christian fad rather than the essence of life. Someone may write a book on the purpose of life and everyone jumps on it as “the answer.” Or a new movie comes out that makes us forget the basics of life for the more entertaining possibilities. Or another life guru appears chanting something new that the social media picks up and leads the masses toward another bubble burst.

When people now ask me what is life all about, I now give them the same simple answer that Jesus gave the lawyer. I don’t point toward heaven, salvation, or transformation.  Neither do I give them a long list of do’s and don’ts. Instead you will find me pointing toward the primary character of God Himself.

Jesus combined two statements from Scripture to capture the entire essence of what the Law is all about and the basis of what the Prophets of old stood for. Again, most of the religious leaders of His day either lost the central purpose of what God was doing or just never understood in the first place.

The purpose of life is built around the Creator of life. God is Love. Everything that we see physically around us is the end result of His Love for us. He created the universe because He loves us. He created us and shares His life with us because He loves us. He sacrificed His Son for us because He loves us. He is transforming us because He loves us. He disciplines us because He loves us. He blesses us because He loves us. Everything He does is from the position of Love. He can’t help it because His naturally essence is Love.

When Jesus stated that the reason behind the entire Law and the sending of Prophets was that we would learn to love God with our entire being and likewise love others and ourselves, wasn’t He clarifying for his chosen ones what the purpose behind God’s plan was and is?

When you break down the components of love, one quickly recognizes that everything of substantial worth and value comes from the heart of love. Jesus, salvation, transformation, eternity, marriage, family, work, enjoyment, blessings, etc. are just the end result (the byproduct, the fruit) of the life giving essence of God Himself – LOVE. Isn’t that what God wants us to learn now? How a life built around LOVE surpasses everything else.

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

Does a Friend Need Encouragement…Share Today’s Message!