Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms, Life in Christ , ,

1 Corinthians 6:12

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ESV.

 

While driving your car in most states in America, you are allowed to make a right hand turn on a red light at an intersection after you stop your car. It doesn’t mean you have too, but you can.

In America, you can also apply for whatever job you want. You may not have the skills and temperament, but you can. Again, it doesn’t mean you should, or qualified, but you can apply.

Likewise in America, you have the right of free speech. The law allows you to express yourself with the protection of the government. Again, you have the right to say what you want but it doesn’t mean you ought too.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. At the intersection, someone may be crossing the street that if you turned there would be a major accident. Just because you can apply for a job, you would be short-changing yourself, your employer, and others if you weren’t fully qualified to manage the work. Again just because the person needs much grace doesn’t mean you have to verbally abuse or assassinate their character because you don’t agree with them.

Because you can doesn’t mean you should. Chocolate is a favorite food for many. But there are those like myself that can’t control the amount we eat. Therefore, rather than be a slave to its gluttony desire,  we find it best to stay away. Sex is a strong desire with much pleasure. Yet outside of a committed relationship within marriage, it becomes a physical addiction and not an intimate, relationship builder. You can also have as many gods in your war chest as you need, but if the Triune God is not before them, first, and central, you are wasting your time and energy on worthless idols.

The bottom-line: You can if you so choose, but are the consequences worth it?

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 2013-2018 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

Time & Chance

Dr. Mike Life Tools

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. ESV.

Sorry to disappoint you if you haven’t yet discovered the fact that you are not in total control of your life. Yes you can control your response to life, but you cannot always control the outcome. Many have tried and not one has succeeded from beginning to end.

You did not choose the time and place nor parents of your birth. You most likely will not choose how and when you will exit this world. You may think suicide is your ability to control the outcome of when and where, but again not all who attempt succeed. Other people do have a say of what you do.

Professional sports is a good example. We look at the stats and determine who is the better team. Yet great teams have bad days and mediocre teams over-achieve. This is why we play the game. Everyday life is the same.

You may have a plan for life, but is everyone on board with it? Will the government cooperate and make it easy for you? Will the piano being thrown out of the 10th floor skyscraper window unbeknownst to you find its mark on top of your head? Will lightning strike the dry underbrush of your backyard preserve and burn 10,000 acres around you before being extinguished? Will the speeding car driven by an unknown drunk driver fail to stop at the intersection and meet you in your blind spot even though you are an excellent defensive driver?

Things happen in life that are unpredictable. You and I cannot control every event. Your odds of being struck by lightning are better than the odds of winning the Power Ball lottery. Yet will either ever occur in your lifetime? Yes it could happen. But is it something you can plan and control to happen?

The earlier you learn what you can control and what you cannot will make your life more enjoyable in the process. Yes you need to plan but also have alternative routes when events don’t work out as you anticipated. Yes you need to control your response to a situation. That is what maturity is all about. And yes you can choose which relationships you will nourish and which ones you will extend more grace toward. But more importantly, you could choose to follow the Rabbi’s Rabbi – Jesus Christ. He wants to share his life with you as you share yourself with him. It definitely makes the journey more adventurous, more enjoyable, and more favorable while we deal with the circumstances and unpredictable events life throws our way.

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