apprentice of Jesus

Have you ever asked yourself why are you a Christian?

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , , , ,

Believe it or not there are some people who have never asked themselves the question. They typically are the cultural raised or 2nd generation Christian who simply followed their parent’s customs.

They are Christian simply because their parents were and their parents were and their parents were, and … You get the point? Or maybe is it the socially accepted religion in your community? Or is it good for business? Or was there a Christian girl that you had a crush on and she would only date other Christian boys? Or were you the rebellious type and did something that your parents would disapprove? The question remains ”have you someplace and somewhere made a personal decision for Christ?

faith & life

I look at my own  life as an example.  My parents  were both Christians. Dad was a devote Roman Catholic and mother Eastern Orthodox. They sent me to a Catholic grade school and high school where religion was always included in the curriculum. My child­hood friends were Catholic. My neighborhood was predominately Catholic. Yet today, I am not a Catholic nor an official member of any one traditional denomination.

Back in my high school senior year, the question entered into my mind, “What is life all about? One day you are born. You experience child­hood. Your enter grade school, then high school, then college. You obtain a career, you marry, and if you are fortunate children enter your life. You rear them, switch careers in middle-age; children leave home for school and a life of their own. You retire, travel, spend time with the grandchildren, and then they bury you in the cemetery plot among people you never knew. What is it all about?”

That is the question that led me in search of answers. I found myself in the public and college libraries reading books by people that I couldn’t even accurately pronounce their names. I took comparative religion courses. I read the answers from different religions. I met with the local priest and ministers of different denominations in search of the answers. I spent over two years of intense study on the subject. My search eventually led me to a cult (I didn’t think at the time it was a cult). But they provided answers that made sense. It was a combination of new wave and old fashion religion very attractively packaged.

Basing their answers from the Bible (it was here that I afterward learned how easy it is to manipulate scripture out of context), extracting scriptures from different areas of the Bible, they concluded that we all had the opportunity to become like God as God is God. Again, this was my earlier misunderstanding, but it motivated me to develop a strong, personal relationship with our Heavenly Dad and to the study of scripture. Since then, He’s open my eyes to a more accurate understanding of scripture which motivates me even more and even assures me that God is Good and has my best interest at heart at all times.  But, why are you a Christian?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Our Merciful Dad, thank you for caring. Thank you for caring enough to allow us the privilege of living in a country that allows religious freedom. But help us Lord to understand the differences between being a real Christ-follower and a cultural Christian. We want to be real with you. We want to experience the living dynamics of being your child. Lead us and surround us with people who are like you; people who care and want you to live your life in them. Help us surrender ourselves totally into your hands. Take charge of our life. We want to be a God made person and not a self-made person. Help us be a success as you define success. Help us set aside all the vanity that this world exhibits and replace it with your substance. Allow the Holy Spirit full access into our life. Change our heart, mind, body, and soul to exemplify you. Help us be a real person; honest with you, ourselves, and with others. Help us stop playing games and accept our high calling of being a full time committed disciple of Jesus Christ.  Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. Glorify you in all that we do.  Amen. Amen.

Dr. Mike

God Has Big Plans For You

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , , ,

Growing up next door to the  automobile   capital   of  the  world (Detroit, MI) you couldn’t help to notice the small tool and die shops in many of the local industrial parks. I remember driving down one main street for over an eight-mile stretch and counting the small tool and die factories next to each other on both sides of the street. I was told that when the automobile companies would need a rush job, they would start on one side of the street and contact each establishment until they found someone who was willing to take the work for as low a price as possible. Many of these shops were own and operated by one or two individuals with a very small crew. What they all had in common was their age; most of the very good tool men then where in their fifties and sixties. Not too many young people were going into the tool and die trade because of the opportunities being developed in the computer world. But these professionals took great pride and honor in mastering their craft.

Between my freshman and sophomore college years, I took a summer job working in a heavy metal stamping  plant. For the eight weeks that we worked, and I mean work, we operated several large metal stamping presses that could easily reshape any human part found under its weight. It was here that I witnessed how professional toolmakers handcrafted their work. The engineer department would give them the drawings; they would build a prototype, test it, and then build the final die that would be the mold for the final part of the design. The mold would be taken by one of these professionals and installed into the metal stamping machine.  From there, labors like me would place a flat sheet of metal on top of the table. Here I would press the two buttons, one for each hand, and the heavy metal top would plunge on top of the mold exerting its heavy weight and force to reshape the metal sheet into a fender or grill or whatever the designed call for.

SEEDS 2

Likewise, when we accept our calling to become disciples of Jesus Christ, I sometimes wonder if a type of mold is pre-made in heaven for you and me. A plan is prepared by our Heavenly Dad, implemented by Jesus, and supported by the work of the Holy Spirit. That mold is to shape you and me into the perfect image of our Lord. It is to take our personality, mind, talents and reshape it upon the foundation of the righteous character of Jesus Christ. As we yield ourselves to Him, He takes the life experiences that we walk through and builds within us a new creation. (2cor5: 17)  In addition,

He may give us special gifts, talents and skills that we don’t naturally possess, so that we will glorify God by taking a journey we would normally never take on our own. Our Maker deserves all the credit. We are simply that piece of metal sheet that lies under the weight of life’s metal stamping machines that when harnessed reshape our lives into the perfect image of our Lord.

 

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8 

Our Great Heavenly Dad, we glorify your work. And we glorify You. Everything of value and worth comes from You. As the Bible states, “every good gift comes from You.” You have taken this life and as I have yielded, You have molded and shaped it into a life of richness. You have allowed me to live in America; a land of freedom where even the poorest are better off than most people around the world. You have made me neither rich nor poor, but have given me enough to sufficiently live healthy and provide for my family’s needs. Yon have at times even blessed us with special occasions that we will remember forever. But more so, you have given us the assurance that you are creating and shaping us into your divine likeness. Though there are still many rough edges that need to be eradicated, we are always amazed to see those small changes that only you could bring about. Thank you for caring and always being there when we need someone to lend us a helping hand. As always, we come to you only because of the authority of Jesus. Amen.

Dr. Mike

“BE STILL…” ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Dr. Mike Essays, Ministry , , , ,

           “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Palms 46:10 (NIV)

be still 10

             In today’s culture, where multiple activities, performance-orientation, and the push to achieve greater results are the showcase of a successful life, it is easy to get caught up living the same trap, being so busy that God is pushed out of the picture and the relationship becomes stranded. When we become the center of attention rather than God, and the self is more important in the equation than God, we have lost our greatest strength.  By always first applying Palms 46:10 in the equation, it allows us to focus our lives and participate with “God’s work through us” rather than jump into our work “hoping God will bless it.”  When we stop ourselves to focus on God first, God allows us to capture a better glimpse of his majesty and power.

Every relationship takes time to build and the more intimate relationship even takes greater time. In Luke 10:38-41, Mary sits still before Jesus listening to His teaching while her sister Martha is busy with the necessary activity to provide for the hospitality of their guests. Jesus even states that Mary has chosen the better of the two. In my early twenties when we were very performance-oriented and moved mountains before even asked to, we approached life from the perspective of starting first, then asking God’s blessing on it after starting, and wonder how come things wouldn’t work out as planned. It took awhile to learn how to determine whether a project was my ministry, the church’s or God’s.  It took time to reach the point where we wouldn’t even begin a project until we “first heard from God”.  Over time, we leaned the difference between seeing the hand of God on a project versus only our hand.  Many times God had to intervene to safe us from ourselves.

Of the various individuals who have impacted me, none other than George Mueller would qualify for the top ten list.  His faith to perform a work and wait on God to provide is a lesson for all to take heart.  His experience and confirmation of God’s involvement was constantly demonstrated by the miracles of assistance without asking anyone but God in prayer. He ministered to over 10,000 children without asking for assistance from anyone but God. Therefore, he knew God’s hand was involved through the entire process and it strengthen him during the low moments of his ministry.

Trust begins with baby steps and over time leads to the Mueller experience. Since we are all on a journey of transformation in Christ, why not stop kidding ourselves and begin to live the adventurous life of a saint. I assure you. If you started a written journal today, you would find by life-end a story worth publishing into a Hollywood movie.  It all starts with “Being Still…”

Dr. Mike

What will it take for you to be still for one day?