Jesus Christ Chose You

Dr. Mike Your Identity
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— Col. 1:22 ESV.

Before you were ever born, you were selected by Jesus Christ. Before you even heard the name of Jesus Christ, you were forgiven. And before you even acknowledged his existence, you were already included in the Triune circle.

The Incarnation teaches us that God chose himself before the foundation of the world as the sacrifice for humanity’s entrance into the heavenly. Entering the world in human form, He (Jesus) clothed himself with the darkness of the world. All sin, deception, anxiety, pride, shame, and blindness was captured within his humanness. God joined humanity and humanity joined God in this act of divine sacrifice.

The result is Jesus Christ lived and died a vicarious life. He represented you and I as our substitute to defeat Satan and restore humanity’s relationship with our Heavenly Father. In the process, you have been forgiven because of His sacrificial life & death. He did it for you and I.

Not only forgiven, but His resurrection and ascension into heaven paved the way for you and I into a new creation. He is the first of a new humanity.  The physical and spiritual merged together.

Though we are already included in the circle of life with the Triune God, many are still ignorant or in rebellion against him. We haven’t accepted the reality of Who He IS and our position with Him. There lies our chose. Whether or not we want to share life with him or not.

The Bible uses several examples to highlight this point. One is adoption. You, the child, have been adopted by the parent (God). Your decision isn’t to select the parent for adoption but whether or not you will become fully engaged into the family culture. The adoption has already occurred. You can either rebel against your new parent or accept the reality that you have a new guardian who truly cares for you. A new home with permanency.

Another example is marriage. In the first century Biblical culture, the woman didn’t decide who she was going to marry. The selection process was negotiated by the parent and/or groom. As a newly engaged bride, your choice was whether or not you will become fully engaged with your husband and learn to love him. As a newly married couple, you can choose to become fully engaged in a mutually shared relationship or not. The consequences of your decision is yours to make.

Lastly, a disciple didn’t choose his rabbi teacher. It was the rabbi who selected the student. Many may wish to learn at the feet of a great teacher, but the final decision wasn’t theirs to make.

In all three examples, adoption/marriage/discipleship, the instigator of the relationship wasn’t us, but the other side. Our chose is simply to accept our position in the relationship and become fully engaged in the relationship. The same is true with Jesus Christ. He has already chosen you. Will you accept your divine position and become fully engaged?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Too Much

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms
A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched. Proverbs 28:25 ESV.

When our daughter was a child of around 2 or 3 years old and learning the art of communications, her Mother and I would smile at times when she wanted second helpings of Mom’s special dessert at the dinner table. When asked how much of a portion she desired, her reply was “too much.” In other words, she wanted more than just more.

Being a child, we smiled at the innocence of youth having an open heart and speaking with frankness. Today, and over time, she has learned to adjust her behavior and exercise self-control when it comes to food. Yet even today we sometimes lovingly tease her with such memories.

But what of the child that doesn’t learn the trap that desiring too much can cause? What becomes of them when they reach adulthood? Per today’s Scripture, a greedy man (or woman) instigates turmoil among the people in their world. Greed may win you more of whatever you desire, but the price is strained relationships. Now if relationships mean nothing to you, then you have a deeper problem. The love of God may be missing in your life.

The good news is the fruit of the Holy Spirit includes self-control. Self-control is of great value for yourself and for those around you.  Self-control places a lid on your greed. Self-control allows you to fill your cup with enough to enjoy and share with others without pulling you and others down into the muddiness of sin. Self-control installs boundaries personally made for you.

So if “too much” is an issue in your life, ask your Heavenly Father to make more room for His Spirit to live and work within you. You will become pleasantly surprised how much of His Spirit he is willing to share with you in your growth and development into the image of his Son.

In fact, if you are greedy, you probably want more of His Spirit so He can redeem your greed into another masterpiece of self-control. Then you will have a living testimony of God’s workmanship to share with others. Just be aware and willing to pay the short-term cost for the long-term gain.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Brighten Your Corner of the World

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.Matt.5:16 ESV.

Life is a dance with the Almighty. As you yield your heart and follow His lead around the dance floor of life, you find yourself growing in the grace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Your countenance begins to change. Over time, those previous broken areas of your life are now radiant with a newness and vibrancy for life. You have come to the place where you realize that the Triune God actually loves you and lives in you.

He not only lives in you, but he is working to transform you from the inside-out. The more you deny yourself for His name sake, the more His light shines through. The more you submit yourself to His healing touch, the more His light radiates through the pain. When you come to realize that the only good within any person is what God produces, the quicker you begin to experience the full riches of His glory.

God especially loves to share Himself with those who draw close to Him (James 4:8). So as He opens our eyes to serve others, He will provide the means. As He opens our ears to hear, His Spirit leads us how to best reply. As He leads us into opportunities to do good, we follow with assurance.

The light others see is God’s presence shining through the broken jars of humanity (2 Corinthians 4:7). We no longer hide God’s work in us and through us. We are not even concern whether our right hand knows what our left hand is doing (Matt. 6:3). Instead, we just let God’s love and grace lead us to do good work for His glory. The outcome is His light shining through for others to see. When you follow the lead of the Greatest Dancer in your corner of the world, people will notice. And you don’t even have to try to be noticed. Just let the light of Jesus shine through you each and every day.

Happy Easter!

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Discipleship 360
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2017 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved