Life Tools

Unity or Conformity

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools , ,

Ephesians 4:3

“eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

When leaders speak of unity, I cringe. The first question that comes to mind is how do you define unity? For most control freak managers and organizational leaders, their definition is really you being conform to their way of thinking.

For real unity is built upon the values and teachings of the Holy Spirit. Conformity is built upon the exterior facade of dress and behavior.

Anyone can look like they are in step with you by their appearance, words, or just high-stepping like the armies on parade. But are they in agreement with the values and principles which lay the foundation of unity?

As a Christ-follower, I am not impressed with empty rhetoric, but with actions built on spiritual truth. When a person has surrendered their Will and Heart and Mind to Lord Jesus, the Spirit becomes more and more noticeable through the mannerism and attitude of the Believer.

Instead of pride, humility becomes more and more noticeable. One doesn’t need to ridicule or disrespect the other so the self may feel justified. But God is allowed to become the center of the relationship. Humility is simply trusting God will deal with the situation better than you can.

Instead of lies to cover up, honesty with transparency is the norm. If people cannot handle the truth, then surround yourself with those who can. Healthy leadership admits one’s weakness and is not afraid of the consequences of revealing themselves.

Instead of uncontrollable behavior, self-control is practiced. For example, to live within one’s means rather than spend more than one earns, is stealing from others. When a country spends more than it receives from their taxpayers, they are simply stealing from future constituents. The same can be said with food. A glutton takes food away from others and only shows their lack of self-control. Without self-control, a person will eventually harm themselves and others along the way.

It is easy to nod your head in agreement, be politically correct, and drive the culturally impressive car. But is your heart ONE with God?

When two people are one with God, they may disagree on many issues. But they have deepened respect for the other person and seek to maintain peace with them. What unifies them is their God and the values HE represents. Rather than seek exterior conformity, they search for common ground being unified in Spirit. They realize the relationship is just as important than the facts. The challenge is to maintain the unity of the Spirit while seeking out the best solution.

When two people are not in agreement with the Spirit, the discussion first becomes a battle between values. If the values cannot be agreed upon, then force is required. Whenever power is exercised without agreement, war eventually ensues.

Conformity ignores the values and instead exercises force and power to get their way. In the short term, they will get their way. In the long term, it will lead to a revolution.

Bottom-line: Unity is built on values and the result is long lasting; conformity is built by force and is short lived and destructive in the long term.  As I have repeated witnessed and learned the hard way, everything worthwhile begins when the Triune God is the center of your foundation.

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

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Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Conspiracy Theories

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools ,

Ephesians 6:12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Which conspiracy theory do you believe?

I recently saw a list of over 75 conspiracies which are currently being talked about throughout the internet. Whether you are into governmental agendas, global warming, UN refresh plans, immigration invasion, vaccine controls, or Elvis Presley faking his own death, they all have a common plot. What we are being told isn’t really the truth.

As a young teen, I learned that people found lies more believable than the truth. When I spoke the truth, people didn’t believe me. However, when I made up some story, they would easily nod in agreement. It wasn’t until my late teen years, after I accepted Jesus Christ, honesty became my bedrock.

I have witnessed the joy of working with others whose word could be trusted. However, I have also worked with those whose lies and half-truths are the norm. My one mentor whose memory wasn’t great would always remind me when you speak the truth it is easier to recall the facts. When you speak lies, you deceive yourself and others. Eventually, over time no one will believe what you say, whether it is the truth or not, and then they will simply learn to ignore you.

Yet there is a conspiracy that is raging throughout the world. One which seems to make circumstances and events come together for an evil purpose. Besides the above Scripture, the apostle Paul also writes in Ephesians 2:2 there is a spiritual force at work influencing people to follow their natural inclinations toward evil. These people unknowingly have become pawns in this world chess game.

The Book of Revelation points at the end time there will be a united world government in control. This government will not be friendly to Christ-followers. Personal freedom will become history and every person subject to the supreme ruler of the state. As we now witness different plots and conspiracy movements throughout the globe, I have to admit the spirit of Satan is very active. You can call it a Biblical conspiracy theory – Satan and his demons are globally moving people toward his goal of global control without God and truth as the foundation.

The good news is Jesus Christ will return and remove the Beast from his throne and restore HIS government on earth. The bad news though is the process from today till then will be a bumpy one with pain and suffering for many. This is what has happened throughout history when God is ignored and people place themselves in the seat of authority without the wisdom nor knowledge of lasting values which leads to a life for all to flourish.

Meanwhile, the only common link between all the conspiracy theories is the lies and unknowns generated by an evil spiritual force moving people away from the Triune God. Eventually, this leads to the inability of trusting one another because of the constant lies being told to hide people from the truth. Then without trust, the system stops functioning, which results in more chaos and untruths, and then brute force is required to make society function again. The end result is violence and destruction; even the downfall of a nation.

But remember, we may lose a few battles between now and then, the overall main stream untrusting culture may also become more and more pervasive, but the Good Book reveals God wins in the end. And we with HIM.

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 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Competency

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools , , ,

Proverbs 22:29

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

So, you want to change the world?

How best could you make that happen?

The Book of Proverbs has many tidbits of common sense and wisdom which when exercised leads to an impactful life. So, if you want to influence the culture around you, improve the lives of those near you, or simply have a larger platform to share your thoughts and ideas, just become good at what you do.

The concept is easy to understand, but takes the high road of character development to build the discipline and skill set to master. But when you develop the competency in your work where you become the teacher and authority of your subject, the world will eventually take notice.

For example, I dropped off my bicycle to be repaired this week. I have used the same shop for the last 5 or 6 years. There are other shops closer and less expensive, but I choose this shop owner because of his knowledge and skill-set of repairing bicycles. The person worked for one of the largest bike shops in the country for over 15 years and then decided to open his own business. He loves bikes and his work shows his love. He treats each bike as his own and answers my questions in a way that I can easily understand. He is very competent in his work.    

Back in Jesus time, a world without today’s social media, HE became known through his work. He was a super Rabbi. He spoke the Scriptures with authority and in ways that amazed the people. He walked the talk. He healed the sick. He judged with mercy and discretion where people from the far right and far left felt accepted by Him. He was known throughout the land by the common person and the leaders of religion and government. In other words, he was very good at what he did.

And you can do the same.

When you align your natural abilities with the accumulation of your specific field of knowledge, and reach a point of understanding all the finer details where you can quickly apply the wisdom to better serve others, you will be noticed. Why?

Because most people are lazy and don’t apply themselves. Or they take shortcuts to master the material. For example, many students learn the one concept taught by their professors and repeat the same words. There is no depth or constructive value in their work. They are parrots repeating the same jargon without fully understanding all the implications.

We see this within the religious community where every question is answered the same way. You can have twenty people answer the same question with the same verbiage. But the competent one, who has taken the time to fully learn and apply the Scripture, will answer the question in their own words and present the material in a way that allows the recipient to understand in their world of experience. This separates the student from the teacher.

If someone needs their bike repaired, I will easily recommend my person. You probably can say the same for those few certain people whose services you repeatedly use even though they may cost a few dollars more. What do they most likely all have in common?

I bet they are very competent in what they do. And you can do the same.

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 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved