DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST

Undesirables of Jesus

Dr. Mike Jesus Christ , , , , , , , ,

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Luke 7:34 (ESV)

 Undesirable people 1

 

How many of us would condemn a person who spent their time partying with the low-life of humanity? (There is no low-life in God’s eyes; but from mankind’s perspective, there is).

You would of course need to define low-life. In Jesus’ time, if you were not living the high-life, then you must have been considered the other.  The high-life would be the people who had all the material aspects that life makes available. They would be seen high on the social ladder. They would be formally educated and successful in what they did. They would be recognized throughout the community. They may even be highly respected in the neighborhood. On the other hand, the low-life would be the undesirables of their day. In Jesus’ time, that would include women, children, and the elderly. It would include slaves, the physically challenged, and the religiously inept. One doesn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a low-life; life happens. The result generally is a life without great purpose, meaning, or self-sustenance.  One has to rely on stealing, prostituting oneself, or obtaining help from others just for the basic necessities of life.

Yet Jesus not only conversed with the undesirables of his time, He loved them. He enjoyed spending time with them and was accused of being a “glutton and drunkard.” His circle of friends and acquaintances included tax collectors, prostitutes, adulteress’, criminals, and the working class. His greatest supporters were women who provided for Him from their means. In Jesus’ day, most women had no rights, couldn’t own property, and were treated as collateral on the household books. Yet Jesus loved spending time with them.

He didn’t spend time with them for a few moments as a political campaign video. He ate with them, drank with them, and conversed with them as a friend and teacher.  He healed them. He fed them. He cared for them. He shared stories, laughter, and tears for them. He demonstrated the love of God, the service of God, and the heart of God with everyone He met. He treated others with respect and dignity. Wherever and whenever He could, he changed their world for the better.

How about you and me? Who are the undesirables in your world? What can you do today to impact the life of another that you wouldn’t normally associated with in your daily walk?  What if the next time you drove to work or went out for lunch, you took a closer look at the people you came into contact with. Maybe you can ask God right then and there how you can participate with Him in the life of another. Just be ready for another adventure.

We are always 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oops: Too Far?

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , , , , ,

Notice how some of us love to take things to the far edge? When driving the car, we speed along approximately 9.9 miles above the speed limit because we know that is the limit police radars are set. (Unless we drive through Ohio, in which case we set our speed control at .1 above the speed limit.) Or, since we know 3 beers is our limit before we begin to get tipsy, we stop ourselves at 2 3/4 bottles. We watch movies with violence because we know it is all make believe, yet we twitch in pain when the scenes are so graphic that our stomach turns somersaults. Yet do we ever ask ourselves how much violence is ok for the heart to absorb before it becomes numb?

My mother had a very low tolerance for risk in her children’s lives. She didn’t want us to get burn with our hand on the stove, so she would tell us not to get close to the stove. But how far is to close? four feet? two feet? six inches? The closer we came to the stove and nothing happened, the closer we came the next time until that one day when we realized it wasn’t how close, but how close without touching it. However, one day when I realized mother’s instructions weren’t true, that one could get close to the stove without any harm, I began to question her instructions of not touching it. If she lied about being harmed by getting to close to it, maybe she is also lying about touching it. So there was only one way to find out: I touched it. Truth behold, nothing happened. Was everything my mother told me a lie? So everyday thereafter I started each day with the habit of touching the stove. I was invincible. No stove could hurt me. Then one day, I skipped through the kitchen and reached out to touch the top of the stove. However, this time what I didn’t realize was the stove top was turned on. Of course, by this time I didn’t just touch the top of the stove with a finger or two; I would slap my entire hand on the circular outlines. I will spare everyone the emergency details, but it is safe to say I didn’t intentional ever do that again.

Yet isn’t that how we operate within our relationships, business transactions, and life’s decisions? We know life is a bell shape curve with the two extreme ends easily discerning what is good behavior and what is not good behavior. It is the middle 80% that is gray and subject to personal interpretation. It is in the gray areas that we push the limits or simply accept the results in gratitude as a gift from God.

Studying God’s Word though opens the door for us to obtain understanding and wisdom from His perspective. His perspective is an eternal one. We generally view life like a four-year old that must stand on his toes and reach over his head to touch the top of a stove. We don’t see what is up there, but must rely on someone we can trust. Most of the time we learn it is our misunderstanding through poor communications that leads us into trouble.

When the serpent tempted Eve by questioning God’s instructions (Gn.3:1-6), Eve could have taken the issue directly up to God. Instead of dealing with conflicting testimony by bring both parties together to find the truth, Eve made a decision apart from having the total picture. She took it upon herself, having only half the story, to divorce God. In management we call that a poor process of determining the best outcome. In counseling, we call that poor communications. In the Book of Proverbs (18:17) it states that one side seems right until the matter is heard from the other side.

Could Eve have been hanging out more with the serpent than with the Lord or Adam? How far is too far before one slides over the edge within a relationship? How close did she travel by the tree on her daily walks? How far do we push the limits before we go over the edge? Where is the edge? Are we absolutely sure or just guessing? What happens when we lose our balance near the edge? Do we have enough rope in place to pull us to safety? Tough questions that only you can determine the answer. We all have different levels of tolerance for risk in our life. My recommendation though is seek wise counsel from all sides before leaning too far near the edge. Also always remember, when Jesus is the center of our world, it is rare that we say oops: too far. For He keeps us balanced between the edges. That is why the relationship is more important than the rules. Rules will fail us; but He did not, does not, and will not.

OUR PRAYER

PRAYER 1

Our Heavenly Father, Son, and Spirit: thank you for your Word. For sharing yourself with us. For opening our eyes to see our spiritual poverty and your riches. Help us to keep you always the center of our lives. Help us to walk with you. Help us to become more like you each and every day. Lead us away from temptation and risks that cause harm to others. Lead us to glorify you always. You are what we want to become like. Deliver us from our stupidity, temporary brain damage decisions, and insane risks that we take with your truth. Help us to desist and you to increase in our life.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, Encourager
Author of Great Business Emulates A Good God

Being Aware of Our Need for Jesus Christ

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , , , ,

There are two categories that we can place everyone on the planet into: those who are aware of their need for Jesus Christ and those who are not aware of their need for Jesus Christ.  For many of us who have already made a rational decision to follow Jesus, we likewise may fall into either camp. For those who haven’t yet made a decision for Christ, you may also fall into either camp. For what separates a person from one camp or the other isn’t a “decision” but living a life that is solely “aware of our need” for Jesus Christ 24/7.

What do I mean by being aware of our need? And why Jesus Christ?

Most people view Christianity from the outside-in without any knowledge of its roots, core, or vision. They simply disavow its importance in their life. They are typically satisfied with their lot in life and feel they need nothing. They are like the people described in the Book of Revelations, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, and need nothing,” but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,”(Rev 3:17). They typically believe themselves to be self-sufficient and believe they have everything under control.  For those raised in a “Christian culture” their battle is simply being overly familiar with Christianity or maybe having a poor demonstration of an actual, practical living example of how the disciple truly lives. Whatever the situation, the real answer typically arises only when we are confronted with a personal problem that requires a “miracle.” That miracle many times leads us to become more fully aware of our need for Jesus Christ.

Typically only when a person comes to the end of themselves are they open to start seeking answers to life’s Big Bang questions. For some it may be survival (ever became lost at sea in the middle of a storm?); for others it may be financial loss (bank accounts empty and no source of income); for others it may be health issues ( cancer before age thirty typically starts one to ask questions of life); the death of a love one (facing mortality raises many questions); or a breakup of a close, meaningful relationship ( divorce or a trusted friend robbing you of your emotional investment). Somewhere life’s unpleasant, broken events stop us to ask those important questions: Is there a God? Who are you God? What do you want from me? Is this all that there is? What is the purpose of life? We begin to ask these questions as we realize that there is a hole within our inner being that needs to be satisfied and there seems to be nothing that we have found on this planet that fulfills it. Or we realize that life is much bigger than ourselves and we cannot control every facet of it. Could it be possible that we were designed to have our inner cup filled through a meaningful relationship with the Creator? Is it possible that we were designed not to control life’s situation but to participate in life with the one who is in Control?

Why Jesus Christ?

Like many writers, authors, marketplace leaders, husbands, fathers, and brothers before me, Jesus Christ and His gospel logically explains life’s most important questions. The answers are not always what we want to hear, but they are answers that explain history and reveal God’s purpose. Though many of the details are still a blank page, the overall plan and spiritual fruit demonstrates its authenticity in the home, marketplace, and community – when allowed to flourish.

When one studies the life of Jesus Christ and His message, one either accepts His claim or denies it. There is no middle ground. Either Jesus is the divine being who help create the universe, chose himself to become human, died and was resurrected to fulfill scripture, and plans on returning as King of Kings, or he is either a liar or a lunatic as C.S. Lewis explained.  Either He is the mediator between heaven and earth, the one person both the Old and New Testaments point too, and the core reason why everything was created, ordered, and glorified for His namesake, or again, he is either a liar or a lunatic.  When one realizes who He is, one cannot accept anything less but realize how far we fall short of his Magnificence and acknowledge His authority, reign, and purpose in our lives. With the Holy Spirit given to us as assurance, we grow and become a trusted believer that eventually acknowledges that Jesus Christ is neither a liar nor a lunatic. He is who He claims to Be.

How aware are you of your need for Jesus Christ in your life?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 4

Magnificence Father, Son, and Spirit: thank you for revealing yourself to us through your Word and via your Spirit. Help us to become totally aware of our need for you. Help us to live our life resting in you. Help us to live our life glorifying you. Help us to live our life witnesses to others about you. You are with me each and every day. Help us live this life faithfully for you and totally aware of our need for you. You are our savior, king, teacher, brother, hero, and friend.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, Encourager
Author of Great Business Emulates A Good God

If You Are Seeking a Devotional Study, Check Out My New Book Be Radical…Follow Christ.