Life Tools

Your Purpose and Mission

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools, Your Identity , ,

Proverbs 16:4

The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Proverbs 19:21

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 20:5

The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.

ESV

God is Purposeful. Everything he does has a focused reason and mission. He doesn’t waste anything. Even when HE rests, there is a purpose behind HIS actions (Gen 2:2-3).

You and I, like little gods, have been designed with an internal drive for purposeful living. Without purpose, one never truly discovers meaning for life.

Since God is the Author of life, HE has already established meaning and purpose for life. When we understand HIS macro plan and understand our role within HIS story, the doors to live out our micro plan become more meaningful and exciting. Many of us try to discover our purpose apart from God. The situation is like being the letter “c”.

The letter “c” is the third letter in the English alphabet. Alone, apart from the alphabet, it stands by itself until someone assigns meaning for it. But when belonging with the other 25 letters of the alphabet, one is given the means to communicate with others. The letter “c”, uniquely designed, then becomes a partner of others to help communicate ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. And depending on who their partnering with, the sound may be slightly different. For example, the “c” in cat generates a different sound then the “c” in church. Yet it is the same letter, but changes their sound when associated with others.

People are the same. We are uniquely designed and our natural abilities and purpose for living become known by the people we associate with. Just like the letter “c” has certain characteristics, you and I have certain natural abilities and personality which make us individuals. Alone, we have very little to offer. However, when we join others, we discover our purpose and derive meaning for living.

Though this is a simply analogy, I hope to demonstrate that when we partake with the Triune God on HIS mission to raise a universal family, train them in HIS family business, and make HIM known to others, opens the door to living a more meaningful life now.

And while we learn to walk with HIM now, we also learn to serve others. As we learn to serve others, we discover our unique design and natural abilities. Over time, we begin to purposely focus our uniqueness with the opportunities which come our way and when we view life from the rear-view mirror, we then will spot the invisible hand leading us through all the stuff that makes up life until we arrive where we are today.

Yet while we stagger along, hesitant yet faithful, testing and failing, celebrating the smallest of victories and gracefully learning from our poor decisions, we become more secure in our walk with the Lord’s macro mission while HE strengthens us and lives HIS life in us while we also pursue our micro mission on earth today.

As I have mentioned many times, life is a ballroom dance with the Almighty. As HE works on HIS macro-objectives, we follow; As we work on our micro-objectives, HE walks with us teaching us along the way. Just like the letter “c”.

When your purpose is centered around HIM, then you learn the joy in serving others, and your purpose and meaning for life will follow.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & 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

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Fear Not

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools, Think About That... ,

1 John 4:18

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Hebrews 13:6

So, we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

2 Timothy 1:7

…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Ever notice throughout the Bible whenever angels appeared before humans, their first words are a strong command not to be afraid. Or when Jesus spoke with His disciples or someone approached him, he would reiterate “fear not” and then explain why.

Fear is a strong emotional spirit that is wired in us to protect us from potential harm. Those of us who have a strong creative imagination probably are more challenged to keep fear to a healthy manageable display, but everyone of us deals with the matter throughout our lives. Yet there are those who better manage the response of fear than others.

I have worked for business owners whose level of monetary risk was substantially greater than mine. As one explained to me, after you lost a few million, gone through bankruptcy, and still survive, your level of risk tolerance grows. The same is true of whatever we may fear. The more we face our fear and survive, the stronger we become.

Jesus would often imperatively command his listeners not to be afraid. The reason: because God cares for you and will help you walk through the ordeal. He would point to God as the one we should fear because he can destroy both body and soul; whereas people can only kill the body. In other places, HE chastises doubt away, and points toward God as the solution to overcome fear and anxiety.

Elsewhere in Scripture, the apostle Paul and John and the writer of Hebrews likewise poo-poo fear away by reminding us that God has given us through HIS Spirit the power and love and self-control to debunk the fear in our lives.

John highlights that God’s love is greater than any fear. As we allow HIS presence to live in us and transform us, we slowly see the fear dissipate from our lives. As we come to know HIM more and more each day, we become witnesses of HIS power to work in our life and the life of others.

The intensity of the fears we face each day are correlated with the presence of God in our life. As HE becomes more and more central in our life, the relationship grows and HIS attributes and worldview begin to dominate in our world. Whatever problem we see or ordeal we are living through is soon recognized as only a hiccup in HIS path.

Fear is a very powerful emotion God gave us to protect us from danger. Yet fear, unless bridled can cause greater harm than the trigger point of fear itself. Like all emotions, fear needs to be managed properly under the circumstances one finds themselves. The beginning of a healthy system to manage fear is with God who created the emotion for our protection. When HE becomes the central core of our emotions, the challenge and response become more controlled, healthy, and productive. So, fear not, and let God be your guide.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & 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

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Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Discipline Yourself

Dr. Mike 2021, Kingdom Paradigms, Life Tools , ,

1 Corinthians 9:25-27

Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So, I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

The Holy Spirit shares HIS character with us which includes self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). He provides us with the added resources and support to live the good life. However, we still have to make the choice. Yet how often do we waiver between two opposing options? We know what is the right thing to do but yet our carnal desire seeks the opposite. 

Paul compares the Christian walk to an Olympic event. The Christ-follower is like the athlete being trained to win a race or a boxing match. If you have ever played sports, you know the preliminary practice and training required to prepare the body and mind for actual competition. The Christian life is no different.

One of the life long battles with the self is disciplining the body to pursue godly attitudes and behavior. In our current culture overran with luxury and pampering, many of us are out of shape to enter any type of Olympic event. This is nothing new under the sun. The way our forefathers managed this process is through “the disciplines of grace” as Richard Foster describes in his book “Celebration of Discipline.”   

The disciplines he describes are simple exercises we intentionally put ourselves through for the long-term outcome of subduing the body into subjection of God’s grace. We train ourselves to yield our desires for a more eternal outcome.

For example, I love to eat. And of course, the foods I desire are typically high in calorie, sugar, and other ingredients which in moderation would be OK but in the hands of an addictive personality, very dangerous. To overcome and better manage the urge of gluttony, I turn to the discipline of fasting. Fasting is an old-time tradition that Jesus and his disciples spoke about as the Bible has much to say about its merit. Yet when practiced on a regular basis, science has demonstrated its effectiveness for physical health, and the Bible has shown its importance for spiritual nourishment.

Other disciplines include worship, giving, celebrating, silence, and at least another dozen that one can choose from to better help in managing the carnal desires of the body. The way to choose which discipline one practices most often is to understand one’s character defaults. For example, if friends and family members point out that you may over talk at events, then maybe one could better control the tongue by practicing the discipline of silence. Another example is if one finds it hard to donate money to others without any strings attached, then maybe the discipline of giving would help balance out the selfish heart.

There are many others options to choose from. The point is to make the intentional decision to practice the discipline one needs to better shape the character within you. For life has a way we either discipline ourselves or life will hit us from the outside with such a punch that we may find ourselves the victim of a knockout. I for one would rather be prepared for the unexpected.

The disciplines of grace help me better manage myself through the obstacle’s life throws us each and every day. I am sure you will find like many others who practice these disciplines they would also make a positive difference in your life. Take time this week to investigate. You may be pleasantly surprise in the difference they will make in your life.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & 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 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved