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

Values of Substance & Worth

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools ,

Luke 6:48

…he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

How strong is the foundation of your life?

Jesus asked the same question to his audience back some 2,000 years ago. The conclusion of his spoken words is summarized in the above Scripture. When you study His remarks, statements, and stories, you obtain a short list of the important values of living which lead to a more productive, blessed, and fulfilling life.

Yet many people who poo-poo the Bible without ever reading the Book classify the sayings as old fashion, religious jumbo. Yet those who have digested its contents, and built their foundation of living upon the teachings and wisdom from the Book, can only smile.

You don’t need a college degree, nor even a high school education to gleam the values which a solid, successful life is built upon. The Book contains all the important lessons and tidbits of wisdom when put into practice leads to a life worth living even after all the worldly storms and ugly events dump on you each and every day.

Today’s media and advertisers influence people by emphasizing the outer form rather than the internal character of a person. Human nature wants to look good in the eyes of others. Therefore, we put on a show based on values of form rather than substance.

We put pictures on social media showing us having a great time as if our entire life was one big party. We drive a car which we cannot afford but it gives us the image we want to portray before others. We marry a trophy spouse rather than the one who brings joy into our heart because we are willing to sacrifice everything for them. We borrow funds to live beyond our means and then find ourselves in deep debt without the means to repay. We chase the good life without realizing what the good life truly looks like.

Jesus outlined throughout the Bible the good life. A life built upon the design of its Maker. When one aligns themselves with the Creator of the universe and builds their foundation on the same characteristics which Life originates from, one begins to truly experience and understand why substance is more important than form. However, God’s creation also reveals that form and substance go hand in hand. Without substance, form dissipates into oblivion.

Real lasting values which lead to the good life is patterned after the Creator of the universe. Study His creation and you learn how life successfully works.

Overly educated people have the tenancy to complicate matters by creating life models which seem doable until put into practice. When the abstract hits reality, and the formulas and assumptions fail, they cannot accept their error. But instead accuse others of improperly implementing their methods. However, when you ask the farmer or carpenter who works with their product each day, they can quickly tell you what is most productive and best for the long term. Their education is based on the practical, everyday reality of life.

When your life is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ, reality comes to the foreground. The values He instructed and taught His disciples are the ones which are built upon the characteristics of the Triune God. When implemented, one begins to experience life without the fear of having the ground below their feet taken away. The values HE emphasizes are the ones which are true in every generation. They have been tried and proven over and over again. Others may poo-poo them as outdated. But hindsight teaches us why history repeats itself; us humans quickly forget the past and keep repeating the same stupid errors because the superficial values we accept today may look good on the outside, but under a microscope the internal substance lacks long lasting strength and sureness.

Bottom-line: seek and build your life upon values which have been proven over time to bring about the good life – everything else is shifting sand.    

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

Three Success Factors: Character. Morality. Values.

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools , ,

Ephesians 4:20-24

But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. (MSG)

Character is built upon the foundation of your soul. Your personality and innate traits and abilities make you unique. When you allow God’s Spirit full access into your inner chambers, you then begin to experience a fundamental shift in your thinking and worldview. You begin to view life from God’s perspective. Let your character be shaped by the Triune God and experience life’s most precious commodity: real, authentic living the way you were designed to be.

Romans 8:5-8

Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored. (MSG)

Morality is the bumper rail to keep you from destroying yourself and others. Like the bowling alley with rails to prevent the ball from leaving the lane, godly morals keep one from harming themselves or others in the long run. Morality keeps you in the game for the long term. Real freedom and a joyous life reside within morality.

Proverbs 3:13-18

You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom, when you make friends with Madame Insight. She’s worth far more than money in the bank; her friendship is better than a big salary. Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her. With one hand she gives long life, with the other she confers recognition. Her manner is beautiful, her life wonderfully complete. She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her. Hold her tight—and be blessed! (MSG)

Matthew 13:44

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find! —and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. (MSG)

Matthew 6:19-21

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse! —stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (MSG)

Values are the treasurers worthy to attain for an abundant life. What to pursue and knowing what is important, and which value leads to a more productive, fulfilling, and enjoyable life depends on your chosen selection. Everything has a price and return on investment. Everyone has an opinion, but God who created value sets the standard of rank. Certain values will look pleasant in the short term, but lead to a great fall and other values will initially look old-fashion but take you along the better route toward a life worth living.

Character. Morality. Values. Three friends you and I want to hang around with and get to better know each and every day. Choose wisely and these three will lay your foundation for a real, sustaining, fulfilling life.

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