Life in Christ

Thank You Lord Jesus

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,

Psalm 57:9

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.

A thankful heart is a witness of God’s handiwork. One cannot walk with God for any length of time without noticing the change of heart in thanksgiving to Him. No wonder why Scripture emphasizes this action throughout the entire Bible. Therefore, rather than I write a few more words of being and expressing thankfulness, below are a few Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible. Read responsibly and let the Holy Spirit interpret each verse for you.

1 Timothy 4:4

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

1 Thessalonians 3:9

For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,

1 Thessalonians 5:18

…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Colossians 2:7

…rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Ephesians 5:20

…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Corinthians 4:15

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 9:15

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

2 Corinthians 9:11

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

1 Corinthians 1:4

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

Romans 1:21

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Romans 14:6

The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Acts 27:35

And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.

Luke 22:19

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Daniel 6:10

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Jeremiah 33:11

…the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord: “‘Give thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!’ For I will restore the fortunes of the land as at first, says the Lord.

Isaiah 12:4

And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.

Psalm 9:1

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 30:4

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.

Psalm 44:8

In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.

Psalm 50:14

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

Psalm 50:23

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”

Psalm 57:9

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.

Psalm 69:30

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 86:12

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.

Psalm 92:1

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

Psalm 95:2

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Psalm 100:4

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Psalm 106:1

Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

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 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Live the Good News

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,

2 Timothy 3:5

…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.

People like to put on a good front. We dress for success. When others are watching, we paste on a smile of happiness. Yet, one of our fears is to be discovered we are not the person we pretend to be.

I recall as a youth around 17 years old coming across a quote. I do not know who to give credit too and I may not have the exact words, but paraphrasing it read: “Shame on my parents for making me who I am, but shame on me for staying that way.” This quote has stayed with me my entire life. It always reminds me not to accept being a victim but realize we can choose to change.

After following Christ for a whole number of years, I woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and felt the impact of one of those spiritual slaps. It shook me. I came to realize my life was far from how a disciple’s life is described through the pages of the Bible. I would read how an apprentice of Jesus Christ would experience HIS peace, joy, and love along with all the other fruit of the Holy Spirit. How a student of Jesus would yearn to be like his Rabbi. Yet when honesty took me by the hand, I had to admit the emptiness was deafening.

Yes, I put on a good show. The smile, the handshake, the proper words at the right time, everything one is trained to work a room for personal gain. But the power of God was missing. I questioned my beliefs. Was the Christian faith a facade? Another religion created by people to control the masses and make one feel good about themselves? Well, it wasn’t working for me.

Then, we dug deeper. Remember the quote: Shame on my parents (teachers) for making me who I am, but shame on me for staying that way, became my mantra. Opening the Bible, we began an in-depth study of being a follower of Jesus Christ. And as any long-term student of HIS will attest, HE led me through Scripture, books, and people and eventually to a place of repentance of failing to empty myself for HIS name sake.

To live the good news of Jesus Christ means replacing oneself as the central core of life with HIM, his Spirit, and his God. When one empties themselves of pride, channels their desires built on the Triune God’s value system, and puts into practice the ways of HIS government, one begins to experience the power of a relationship with the Creator of the universe.

The inner sanctuary of the human heart becomes a peaceful and joyous home for your Maker. You begin to realize God lives in you and moves you like a partner on a ballroom dance floor. You don’t understand all the nuances, but learn to trust someone who loves you so much you cannot fully express the thankfulness of the situation.

The power of God resides in you. Yet you need to learn how to allow God full access into your inner chambers of the heart and mind. When you do, you begin to experience and express real godliness in your life without even attempting to make it happen. You begin to live the Good News, experience the Good News, and share the Good News with others.

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 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Freedom or Enslavement?

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,

2 Peter 2:19

They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

The Bible portrays an active battle between you and Satan, you and the culture, and you against yourself (1 John 2:14, 2:16, 4:4, 2 Peter 2:20, Romans 12:21, John 16:33). Jesus himself stated that everyone of us will go through tribulations of some kind during our lifetime. So, when evil arises, why are we so shocked?

As an old Yankee baseball friend once stated, “Life is wired to throw curve balls, sliders, and sinking fast balls while you are just entering the batter’s box and not even ready to swing the bat.”

Yet sometimes we forget. When life is comfortable, money is in the bank, family is healthy, and the world is speaking good news, we experience temporary utopia and believe life will be like this forever. Then the bottom falls.

Most of the time, it’s a family affair. A tragic accident, or death of a love one hits those immediately within our world. But when a major pandemic like Covid-19 becomes a worldwide threat, especially for the elderly and those with challenging immune systems, fear immediately seizes us.

A recent poll taken during the Covid-19 fallout showed that 88% of Americans stated this was the worst experience of their lifetime to date. Doesn’t this hint that most Americans live a sheltered life?

If fear, anxiety, and social isolation doesn’t wake up the hearts and minds of people living in spiritual stupor, then you wonder what will. What will make people take a step back and realize how fragile freedom is and how enslaved they are within their personal prison.

We are all slaves. You may think you are free, but if you step back and take an honest view of yourself, you will have to admit you are a slave.

You may think you live in a western-world democracy and therefore you are free. But are you? We know those who live under dictatorships are slaves to the state, but what about you?

If you can be honest for the moment with yourself, you will discover that you may be a slave of fear or anxiety. Or you may be a slave of your pride, your carnal desires, or even your thirst for more and more which is greed manifested.

You are enslaved by your smart phone, pornographic material, or fast cars and women.

Or you may just be enslaved by your weight, beauty, and appearance. Maybe it’s your ideology, aversion to risk, or suicidal tendencies. Maybe chronic health limitations, prescription drugs, or just the continuous alcoholic drink morning, noon, and evening.

Maybe it’s always to be right, resisting the love of others, or just being a self-made, independent person.

Maybe it’s not accepting personal responsibility, or making commitments, or just being lazy.

The fact is we all have issues that enslave us. The question though is how can we break free.

The choice of who or what you are going to serve will manifest itself in your life. We all will make poor choices somewhere and someplace. And we will most likely survive most of them. But will we thrive under anyone of them?

Real freedom comes from choosing who you will ultimately serve. You can choose anything you want and you will eventually feel its pain. Or you can choose to serve the King of Kings, and experience what real freedom within the divine circle of life truly is.

John writes in the letter to the church (1 John) that Jesus Christ is the answer. He already overcame the world for us. You can join Him and He will lead you like many others into real freedom.  He can help you break the cord that binds you to your carnal desires.

So, reach-out to HIM. Ask HIM to allow you to experience real freedom. Seek out others who also are on the journey to live free as HIS servants and lean on each other. And knock on all the doors HE presents to you. One or more of those doors you walk through will change your life into an amazing ride of intimacy, adventure, and meaningful fulfillment.     

But you need to choose wisely. And the first and last choice is always Jesus Christ.

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 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved