christlike

How We Draw Near To God?

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , , , , , ,

 

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

 

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How does one draw near to God? For many of us, we walk the Christian journey with only a few tools in our soul-box. We focus on prayer, bible study, and fellowship. These are important. Yet most Christ-followers seem to stop there. They just keep repeating the same three over and over again until it becomes so rote that the joy disappears and routine duty takes over. Want to have other tools that will reawaken the romance between you and our Lord?

A variety of Disciplines may be the spark that draws you nearer to God. For those who are unfamiliar with disciplines, let me explain. They are the practices that help us focus our minds and bodies toward God. Mr. Richard Foster wrote a book entitled “The Celebrations of Disciplines” which outlines many of the practices that saints have used throughout history to draw nearer to God. I would recommend that book for anyone who wants to add spice to their spiritual walk with the Lord.

These disciplines are the means of grace that allows us to imitate the mind and soul of God. Typically the best discipline to choose in your season of life is the one opposite of your natural disposition. For example, if you are very selfish with your possessions, you may want to practice the grace of giving to others. When you practice the scripture that “it is more blessed to give than to receive,” you will find yourself slowly breaking down the chains that bind you. You will begin to experience the joy that the Lord shares in blessing others.

If money controls you, you can practice the discipline of tithing. By giving away a portion of your income to others like your local church or food pantries on a regular basis, you find again the chains of ownership breaking away and the spirit of stewardship taking over.

Again, these acts by themselves will not cure you. It is the Spirit working within you that renews your heart and mind as you practice these disciplines that draws you closer to God by emulating Him in everyday life. You begin to see life as He views life.

You also have to be careful that the discipline does not become more important than Jesus. We all have a tendency to find a discipline that drastically improves our walk with the Lord and we believe that everyone else should practice the same thing in their life. We forget that we are all wired differently, yet the same. The disciplines that I need to practice to draw nearer to God may be different than yours. Yet our purpose is the same. We both want to walk closer with our Lord in our journey through life. Now, if that is being radical in Christ, please give us immeasurably more.

We are rooting for you!

Yours in Christ,

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
* Great Business Emulates a Good God
* Be Radical…Follow Christ!
* Simply The Messenger
* Unequally Married

Learn. Integrate. Grow.

 

 

 

 

 

Lead People; Manage Systems

Dr. Mike Business & Faith , , , , , , ,

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,” Deuteronomy 30:19

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One problem I noticed over the years with new supervisors and managers is the tenancy to manipulate people. In most cases, they do not realize what they are doing. They simply act in a way to get the results that they seek.

We see this with parents raising children. When one has young children, it is easy for the parent to control the actions of the child. They can use fear and punishment to produce the results that they desire. However, as the child grows and becomes a teenager, the parent needs to learn to adjust their leadership skills. For then, the child begins to reason and think for themselves. They are not afraid of the same consequences of their earlier childhood. Now the parent needs to take the time to reason and debate with the young adult. If not, the child will quickly rebel, and the conflict becomes a war zone. Likewise, when the child becomes a full adult, the relationship again changes. The parent cannot use the same techniques from childhood with their adult child(in most cases). Now the relationship is less about control and more about freedom of choice. The consequences may be the same, but the means change.

The same is true in the business organization were adults work with adults. Novice supervisors confuse the management of systems with the leadership of people. When one focuses on trying to manage people like systems, conflict will arise. Systems are designed to measure and move through a process to accomplish a specific objective. People are led through engagement and expectations of consequences. Systems are logical, heartless, and predictable. People are emotional, soulful, and unpredictable. Systems can be quickly changed and modified for expected results with little feedback. People need time to grow and mature until full mastery of the workload is learned.

Don’t confuse systems and people. Each are necessary for an organization to fully realize its potential and service for others. Yet both require a different approach. God doesn’t work with people the same way he works with animals. Animals are born with instinct. People are born with learned behavior. The animal’s potential is limited. The person’s potential is unlimited. Lead your people with the realization that their potential is greater than yours. Manage your systems with the realization that they give you the process and feedback to make you unique in the business community. But don’t confuse the two when working with each. How would you like God to confuse you with the inertia of gravity? Hope that isn’t too radical for you?

We are rooting for you!

Yours in Christ,

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
* Great Business Emulates a Good God
* Be Radical…Follow Christ!
* Simply The Messenger
* Unequally Married

Learn. Integrate. Grow.

The Joy of Business

Dr. Mike Business & Faith , , , , , , ,

Every person and every organization operates from a built-in structure of values. These values are typically built around an internal belief system. Studies have shown that many of the values we carry throughout life have been shaped within us and already formed by the time we reach the age of 8-9 years. Many of these same values and beliefs remain with us until an event or circumstance changes our perspective of life. Only then, we may consciously or unconsciously make a change.

In business, the founder typically sets the values and belief system of the organization. She or he sets the standards that others quickly learn to comply with if they want to be accepted within the business circle. As an organization grows, other leaders step up to influence their values into the operation. Eventually, team leaders learn to work with one another even though they may disagree with the other team member’s belief system and priority of values.

As a Believer in the marketplace, God has allowed us to partner with Him as He works out His plan of redemption while being the means to economically serve others as His hands and feet. As a servant in God’s government, we have new standards that we are learning. Yet we also have older values that need unlearning. God is creating a masterpiece via His Universal Church within the marketplace and is allowing us to participate with Him if we choose.

Why is this critical to understand? Because many of us enter the marketplace with a focus strictly on monetary reward. We strongly and incorrectly believe that the main purpose of business is to make money. So when we make business decisions, we measure the process with the end result solely for a financial remuneration; a return of investment; a monetary payback for our time and effort. Yet is that how God views business?
Without getting heavy into theology, didn’t God give mankind instructions to have dominion over the earth? To manage it and to sustain it? Where in the creation account did God say our economic primary purpose is to make a profit? Yet didn’t Jesus himself quote scripture that man needs bread and the Word of God to sustain himself? So what is the purpose of business?

Isn’t business a ministry that God ordained to provide for our fellow man? Like every ministry, isn’t the purpose to Glorify God and serve others with the talents and skills we have been blessed with? Is it not a joy to conduct business where God is glorified; all stakeholders benefit, and we receive an economic return so we can do it all over again?

As a young, shy man starting out in the business world, I went into the accounting field because I was good with numbers, logic, and able to bring order out of chaos; I didn’t really want to work directly with people. Likewise, I chose the real estate industry because one could work with buildings and tangible property rather than directly with people. A funny thing happened along the way. I discovered that accounting, real estate, and business is all about people. That if one wants to succeed in life, one needs to learn how to communicate, relate, influence, encourage, and lead people. I eventually learned that successful business is about developing long-term relationships with others for their highest benefit. When we were successful in providing for our customers, operated efficiently, the profit we earned was simply the cost for doing business. Our profit margins was the result of the emphasis of the value and service we provided.

Imagine if every business selected a product or service that would glorify God, honestly serve people, and made enough money to stay in business; and continue to do it over and over again; what a wonderful world it would be! When one reaches this point, than one can truly see the fruit of one’s service and product through the eyes of God. Most people would think that this is impossible in today’s world. Yet, is anything impossible with God? The problem is most people run business their way rather than yield and trust a living God who wants you to partner with Him in His mission for the marketplace. Didn’t Jesus say if we seek His Kingdom first, that all these other things will be added to us? Doesn’t that also include our business ventures? Yes there is joy in business when one learns to truly trust and rest in the living God. Or is that too radical for you?

OUR PRAYER

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Our Economic Father, Son, and Spirit: thank you for creating a world that requires mankind’s participation to learn how to relate, cooperate, and serve one another. Thank you for teaching us that the greatest among us is the one who serves the most. Thank you for showing us that business is simply building relationships with others and helping others to attain their dreams to glorify you and serve their fellow man. Help us to yield our business ventures under your authority. Help us to learn to trust you in our business dealings. Help us to be successful in our business careers so we can be your hands and feet in serving others for your glory. Help us be true to you and others in all our business dealings. Help us work with you to redeem the marketplace for your glory and purpose.

Yours in Christ,

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, and Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute & Resource Center, Inc
Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God &
Be Radical…Follow Christ!

Learn. Integrate. Grow.