Life Tools

Love and Respect

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Kingdom Paradigms, Life Tools

Romans 12:10 (CJB)

Love each other devotedly and with brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect.

 

loveandrespect3

There are relationship principles taught throughout the Bible when practiced makes the Kingdom of God come alive. One such principle is the relationship between leaders and followers. This would apply in business, government, and yes even the little-league baseball game.

This principle is built around the godly concept of love and respect. Both attributes are necessary for the relationship between two parties to be fully engaged. In summary, the follower is to respect the authority of the leader and the leader is to love the follower. What does this look like in a practical setting?

In the home, the Bible teaches that the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the Church (Eph 5:25). Which means he is willing to sacrifice his life (time, money, possessions, goals, body, etc.) for her. On the other side, the wife is to respect (show honor) for her husband. Both sides are to mutually submit one to another (Eph. 5:21).

In the workplace, bosses are to care for their employees as unto the Lord (Col.4:1) The employees are to serve their leaders as serving Jesus Christ (Eph.6:5). Love and respect show up again.

In government, we are instructed to honor the emperor (I Pt.2:17). The king is to operate from a position of steadfast love and faithfulness (Proverb 20:28). Again, love and respect show their power.

What if the other side doesn’t cooperate in the relationship? Simple answer: You do your part and let the Lord do His. We pray and ask our heavenly Father to shower His grace upon them. Since He has shared His grace upon us, don’t we want all to experience the same joy? I’m sure we don’t have to be selfish with him. He has so much more to share with others; and isn’t it exciting to watch how He gently invades the lives of others? You will find during your life travels that much grace is going to be handed out toward others who may not fully understand the ways of God. You just may be the prayer warrior who introduces our Rabbi to them. So, let love and respect find their way into your relationships and see how the kingdom of God comes alive in your world.

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 2013-2018 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Live Well

Dr. Mike Life Tools , ,

Colossians 1:10

…so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God…ESV.

live well1

 

When life is measured by one’s possessions, status, bank account, or influence, one has been swallowed up by the demon of pride – mankind’s #1 vice. The focus is on self rather than God which leads to missing out on His best. However, when our Heavenly Father is the center of life, one experiences the soulful riches of kingdom treasures along with the physical comforts of creation – the best of both worlds.

So, if you want to live well, to the fullest of your potential, with meaning and purpose, you need to know God better than you know yourself.  For the fact is:

You live well when you partner with God while you travel through time and space discovering who you are, unleashing your God-given talents, and fulfilling your divine purpose.

You live well when you take the cards you have been dealt with and play to win without excuses, self-pity, or shifting blame toward others.

You live well when character becomes more important than gold, attitude more valuable than muscle and love more fulfilling than intelligence.

You live well when wisdom replaces stupidity, grace supersedes tolerance, and godliness displaces humanism.

You live well when work is your ministry, family your sanctuary, and your neighbors the doorway to experience God’s love.

You live well when your word is your commitment, your integrity is your suit or dress for the day, and your primary concern is for the welfare of others.

You live well when you accept the season of your life, grateful for your state of health (no matter how broken you are) and walk in hope even though you are unsure of the future.

You live well by being generous with your time and money, speak softly with those who disrespect you, and are slow to anger by those who want to harm you.

You live well when you do good wherever you are, you are fruitful in whatever your hand finds to do, and you gladly glorify God who made you and allowed you to live in such a time as this.

You truly live well when you have totally surrendered to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and make His Kingdom your #1 daily priority each day.

You live well when you are true to yourself, transparent in your relationships, and add value without fanfare with others.

You live well when you serve along Jesus Christ who holds you in His Grip since redeeming you before you even knew him.

You live well when you learn to quickly forgive yourself, extend the same forgiveness toward others, and trust God to remedy the situation.

You live well by learning more about the Author of Life, His Story which unfolds each day, and your part within His Plans.

In other words, living life to the fullest, rooted in Jesus Christ, is to live well.

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 2013-2018 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

 

Non-Fatal Failure

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Life Tools

Isaiah 41:13

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” ESV.

In business over the years, we have seen how fear of failure has dismantled the career path of many executives and managers. If you haven’t come to the point yet where the decision you need to make is so overwhelming, than you haven’t faced your worst enemy yet. Whether the decision to sell your business to a competitor, fire a key employee, or take on more debt for the sake of unknown growth, many leaders have struggled and anguished through the process.

At the same time, I am always amazed at how certain business-minded entrepreneurs step back, view the same unknown horizon, and make the prudent decision without hesitation. The main difference we have seen with believers and unbelievers is the refreshing faith and trust that whatever happens is non-fatal in the long term.

Yes, one may economically dissipate everything that took years to acquire and build; and when one associates success with self-worth, the burden can be overwhelming. Yet let the truth be told though, these men and women have learned whether the venture is successful or not will not diminish one’s value as a person. In other words, failure is non-fatal.

When one reaches the point in life where their relationship with the living God is the most important thing and everything else takes a second position, then the outcome of what lies ahead doesn’t really matter in the long term. One can easily walk away from everything and know that with God’s help everything can be restored.

The difficult challenge is not the acquisition of the physical toys and building blocks that surround us but the fortitude of character built from inside your soul and expressed through the world around you. The pain for most believers typically is “not the what is in it for me battle” but concern for the weaker minds and hands of those who are dependent on you for their livelihood. Most people who surround you are probably more focused on what you can give them rather than trusting the living God to provide everything for all of us.

Failure most often is the starting point toward learning who God is and how you can join Him in His work for mankind. Failure is painful when you place your trust in the outcome to solve all your problems. Failure is also a problem when you accept your god as the solution rather than the obstacle to overcome.  But with the Triune God, failure is never fatal. Only the starting point of discovering who you truly are in 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 2013-2018 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved