Life in Christ

Build Strengths, Compliment Weaknesses

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , , , ,
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV

strengths 5

Sometimes when performance doesn’t measure up to expectations, people have the tendency to focus on fixing their weaknesses rather than buildup one’s strengths.  Good coaches though help you to operate around your strengths and compliment your weaknesses.

We see this in sports. Take football as an example. We see how this year’s Cleveland Brown’s offensive coordinator has built a system around their quarterback’s strength.  The quarterback, Brian Hoyer’s strength is the mid-to-long ball arena. Therefore, the Cleveland team plays a horizontal game where Brian is constantly throwing down field rather than short routes. The short game is his weakness. The long game is his strength. Since implementing this strategy, Mr. Hoyer leads all quarterbacks in performance ratings for long throws down field. As a result, the Cleveland Brown’s are in serious contention for a playoff spot when no one gave them a chance in the beginning of the year.

The same is true in business. Almost every single successful business is built around the entrepreneur’s strengths. When the business owner starts to deviate away from their core strengths is typically when the business starts to falter. The process is usually slow because the owner is trying to save money by doing it herself.  The problem is it takes him twice as long to complete the job than someone else whose strength is a perfect match. We see this when a business is built on the sales skills of an owner. When he also tries to keep the company books he is travelling outside his area of expertise. Yes he may save a few dollars in the short term, but in the long term he is losing opportunities to sell which is how the company became successful in the first place.

This is also true in leadership. Abraham Lincoln is a good example of someone who understood this principle. When he was elected President. he surrounded himself with the best people knowledgeable in their field of specialty.  His cabinet consisted of “political enemies” and “self-seeking” businessmen.  He knew his strength was his gift of discernment and communications. Therefore, he exercised his primary strengths and complimented his weaknesses through the people around him. Most novice leaders surround themselves with like-minded people. President Lincoln was not a novice. He accepted the confrontations and egos knowing it provided him with the best support to effectively lead the country.

As disciples, we likewise need to learn to build our lives on our primary strengths. That means the foundation of Jesus Christ is firmly planted in our life. That we know His Word and follow His Spirit enthusiastically. We accept the natural gifts that God has bestowed upon us and find ways to express them for God’s glory and the sake of others. We realize our shortcomings and surround ourselves with people and boundaries that compliment us in our journey through life. As we lean on our primary Strength, the Triune God, we learn to integrate and grow God’s Kingdom through our work, family, and other pursuits.

Life in Christ is most enjoyable when our God-given strengths work together with others for advancing His plans. We experience what being fully human was originally intended when God created humankind. When God’s Spirit merges with our souls, God’s new creation becomes a reality in our world today: Build Strengths, Compliment Weaknesses. A proven principle that works!

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
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

Learn. Integrate. Grow.

 

JOBITIS

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , , , , ,

“There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil…this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.” JOB 1:1-3

job 2

Woe is me! You are welcome to come to my self-pity party. No one understands me. Life stinks. Why doesn’t God hear my prayers? I quit. These are words that I and many others have said someplace, somewhere, sometime in our journey through life. Especially when circumstances didn’t meet our expectations.

At times like this, I like to reread the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Theologians believe this is the first book written in the Bible. It is a story of a very successful businessman, family man, and philanthropist who ran into destructive circumstances beyond his control. God even stated that Job was blameless in his walk with Him.

Yet in a manner of days, he lost everything; all his wealth, his entire family except for his wife who even doubted him, and his physical health. His friends came to comfort him only to bombard him with religious formula’s and concepts blaming him for his downfall. Most remarkably though, through the entire ordeal he remained blameless before God. His main request through this painful trial was the desire to have a conference with God so he could debate his position. And God did grant him his request. In the end of his story, God confronted him and began to question Job. It was then that Job realized his insignificance before God, acknowledged His authority, and appreciated coming to know Him more intimately than ever before.

Being human, we all suffer at times with what I call “JOB-I-TIS.” A condition where our entire world seems to fall apart. Where we stand totally naked in mind, heart, and will before God. Where everything is beyond our capacity to manage or change. What good can come out of all this? How does one grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ? How does our relationship with the Triune God becomes more intimate?

Is it not the more challenging times when our world is collapsing that we draw closer to God? Isn’t this the moment of truth when we find out where we stand before God? If our expectations are not met, we either turn away from God and return to our own ways, or we trust God that He will bring about a better solution. It is at moments like this where we are stretched beyond our self-imposed capacity. If we hang in there long enough, we are reminded that God is doing a wonderful work in us. He is creating a new you in Christ. It isn’t easy. Yet it is highly eternally rewarding. Our reward may not come at this time or in this life (many martyrs of the faith have displayed this fact). Yet our reward now is a more intimate, growing relationship with God as a byproduct through the trials and tests that life produces. To have a mutual relationship with the Creator God is more joy than one can ever imagine. And yes, even our faith is strengthen when God pulls us through the trial through the other end.

So the next time you experience that JOBITIS condition, remember Job’s story. Yes he suffered through a painful event. Yet in the end, he came out more blessed than ever before. That is the hand of God who is always with you and for you as we walk through the trials and tests of this life.

 

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
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

Learn. Integrate. Grow.

Freedom

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,

“They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” 2 Peter 2:19

chocolate 1

I am a reformed chocoholic. There was a time when I would eat pounds of chocolate each day simply to comfort myself through the stress of everyday life. This went on for many years until one day at a grocery checkout counter I was shocked how I couldn’t say no in the purchase of a chocolate bar. The reality sunk in that I was addicted to chocolate. I was a slave to my yearnings and desire for chocolate. I couldn’t say no. I had lost my freedom of choice. Instead of choosing whether or not I wanted chocolate, the choice was already made. I was a slave to my desire for comfort and the satisfaction that chocolate gave me. The price I paid was my freedom.

Many of you may laugh, but for a highly disciplined person (I thought) this was serious. I realized like the scripture above stated, I was enslaved to something else rather than to Christ. The problem wasn’t the chocolate. Like most things in this physical world, we use physical means to satisfy some inner spiritual hole. For me, that hole was the inability to cope with the everyday stress of work and life. Chocolate, with its built-in nutritional values seem to satisfy that inner me. Yet was there something deeper?

In analyzing the process, I realized that chocolate was the byproduct of stress caused by the challenges of work. What had to change for me to forgo my chocolate addiction? Jesus spoke about worry and stress as recorded in Scripture (Matt. 6:24-34). The bottom-line is having a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ at work. When I repented of my lack of faithfulness on the job, things began to change. I quit chocolate and discovered Spirit fruit. I learn to worry less and lean more on Him.

The more God’s Spirit empowers us, the less physical things are needed to be satisfied in this life. Today, I don’t miss the chocolate. I stay away from it because I would rather depend on Jesus. The more we lean on Christ and His finished work, the less enslaved we become to sin and outside cravings. The more He lives in us, the more freedom we have to live a fully, expressive life with the gifts and opportunities he bestows upon us. Now whenever anything comes between Him and me, it is quickly thrown away. For we now know that real freedom is experienced when we surrender our lives to the King.

 

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
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

Learn. Integrate. Grow.