Life in Christ

Character Reproduction

Dr. Mike Life in Christ
“…but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5 ESV

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Wouldn’t life be great if all we had to do is swallow a pill that would give us the character we desire? No effort required. No work involved. No experience of failure. No frustration to manage. Just immediate, character gratification.

We marvel at the highly discipline athlete. We celebrate the person who sacrifices immediate gratification for long term success. In many cases, we wish we had the same fortitude. Yet, the fact is we all have the opportunity to forgo the temporary pleasure for long term character growth.

The reality is also true; godly character takes time and pain to build. Through suffering we lean more on God. As we hang onto Christ, character is being produced. As we witness the character being produced, our hope in Christ becomes real.

Yes, God is reproducing himself in you. He has adopted you and gave you his personal DNA via the Holy Spirit. As we abide in Christ and rest in him, he works from the inside-out to mold and shape us into his model child. Through the circumstances we find ourselves in, through the people we associate with, and through the challenges & opportunities we face each day, God’s Spirit works to mold and shape the new you.

Some denominations identify a saint as someone who is unique and climbed the ladder of spiritual success. Yet the Bible calls everyone who is a believer a saint. In fact, the Bible calls us all saints in the plural and never in a singular fashion. For the saints of the Bible is another identification for the Body of Christ, the Church.

So maybe it is time that the Church, His saints, set aside immediate gratification and take seriously His objective to prepare His adopted children for more than physical comforts in this life. Maybe for some of us it’s time to get serious with allowing God to complete His work in us.

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

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Without Failure

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Life in Christ , , , , ,
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain”. 1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV
“Life keeps throwing me lemons because I make the best lemonade.” – King James Gadsden

failure 2

Failure is the road to success.
Without failure, we wouldn’t know which is the better road to take.
Without failure, we would produce inferior products and service.
Without failure, we wouldn’t know what changes to make.
Without failure, we would take everything for granted.
Without failure, pride would rule.
Without failure, humility wouldn’t shine.
Without failure, love would be cheapen.
Without failure, the best wouldn’t climb to the top.
Without failure, the reward-to-risk return wouldn’t be appreciated.
Without failure, lemonade would never come from lemons.
Without failure, light bulbs wouldn’t exist.
Without failure, victory would be shallow.
Without failure, second chances wouldn’t be necessary.
Without failure, grace wouldn’t be needed.
Without failure, evil would overcome good.
Without failure, boredom would be the number one complaint from people.
Without failure, there is no need for a Savior.
Without failure, hope is lost.
Without failure, courage wouldn’t be noticed.
Without failure, faith would be dead.
Without failure, truth would never be realized.
Without failure, life would be empty.
Without failure, opportunities wouldn’t exist.
Without failure, godly character wouldn’t bloom.
Without failure, talent wouldn’t be noticed.
Without failure, life would simply be taken for granted.

Isn’t life awesome when you can take failure, learn from it, make changes, and continue to move forward toward your life’s purpose and goals?

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

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Pride Speaks

Dr. Mike Life in Christ
“Love the Lord, all you his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.” Psalm 31:23 ESV

 pride 3

Pride speaks blindly. When pride covers our true identity, we forget who we are and act accordingly: stupidly. Our words may sparkle, but they carry empty rhetoric. (Witness the political arena and you get a taste of it.) Whenever I feel a touch of pride-me-o-us coming, I turn to Scripture for grounding.

Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23
One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Obadiah 1:3
The pride of your heart has deceived you…

Mark 7:21-23
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

1 John 2:16
For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

The Bible has much more for you to read and discover about pride. For now though, those of us who have truly surrendered to Lord Jesus, we are most grateful for Him releasing pride’s grip on us.

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

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!