discipleship

Jesus Knows Who We Are

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , , ,

 service 1

Why do we serve?  Do we want to let the world know how good of a person we are?  Does it make us feel important?  Or is it just a part of our nature?  Do we truly believe it is more blessed to give than receive?

We just finished reading an old Discipleship Journal magazine which had an article entitled “Secret Service.”  The article outlined how a few Christ-followers are serving others incognito.  They practice the scripture of not letting your right-hand know what your other hand is doing in serving others.  When they help others they do it either through a third party or in secret.  At the end of the day, all glory goes to God and the act itself.  They just receive the personal satisfaction of helping others without the fanfare.  We love the act.

When Jesus served, was his primary attitude to draw attention to Himself or to help others for their sake with as little fanfare as possible?  Did Jesus die for us because He wanted to achieve personal glory or because He Loves us?  When He walked the earth, who did He give the glory to?  As His disciple, we have learned that the glory and honor belongs to Jesus, our Heavenly Dad, and the Holy Spirit.  All the glory and praise is God’s.  We have come to realize that everything we accomplish, whether in service or for personal gain, we achieve only because of God’s grace.  For starters, He gives us life itself.  He gives us the air to breathe, makes our heart tick, and mind to operate effectively (unless we damage it).  He gives us His Spirit of compassion and love.  He allows us to work and earn an income.  He allowed us to be born in America, the land of physical wealth and personal freedom.  He blesses us so we can bless others.  He provides us the opportunities to serve.  He teaches us the joy and privilege of serving.  No wonder all the praises and glory go to Him.  Everything begins and ends with Him.

We don’t need the recognition anymore.  Our recognition comes from Him.  We are His disciples and He takes exceptionally good care of us.  All recognition goes to Him.

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Dear Wonderful Dad, you are our success, joy, and recognition in everything we do.  You surround us with your Grace and Presence each and every day.  You give us more than we deserve.  You make our cup overflow with your abundant riches.  Everything we own is a loan from you.  You created everything for us to share in and we likewise share it with others.  Without you there is nothing worth owning, possessing, or having.  You add value to everything because you created value.  We can never express our gratitude and thankfulness for your involvement in our life.  Everything is because of you.

If we have not express our thanks to you today, let us say thank you again and again.  If we have already expressed our thanks to you today, we express it again.  There is not enough time in a day to thank you for your Grace, your Gifts, but more importantly just knowing you.  We humbly thank you and express our gratitude.  Amen.

Consultant & Coach for Christ-Centered
Business Owners & Executives

Dr. Mike

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God
Website: EnjoyLifeInChrist.com


 

Pre-eminence Belongs To The King

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , , , , , , , , , ,

SEEDS 2

Do you recall in the early grades when you competed with other students in speed-reading?  You and they would probably take turns being the first one to read any material and then recall the contents for the teacher.  Was our motivation to read with speed and comprehension or simply to be first?  Later in life when you were playing sports, was it to be the best you could be or to be the best among your peers?  Likewise in college while wasting time in the student activity center playing cards with your peers, was it to win all the time, or just to be better than your peers?  Did you walk away with a trophy or two back then, but if you were honest with your motivation was it to be the best player or the internal drive to be better than your peers?

Throughout life, those of us with a competitive or achievement spirit tend to have a strong motivation to be number one among our peers. When we sold, who had to he # 1 at the end of the year in sales? When we did whatever, can we admit our motivation was to be the best in comparison with our peers, no matter what the price?.  If you are like many of us, we have a strong internal drive that we can’t control but had to be satisfied. It would drive us in whatever we did.  It wasn’t until we totally surrendered our life to God that this motivation dissipated and eventually disappeared.

In scripture, we read how Satan wasn’t content in being a servant of God, but wanted to be in charge of God’s Kingdom. He persuaded one-third of the angles to work with him to overthrow God from His throne. But instead of victory, he learned that God is in control and no one is going to remove Him from His Office. Likewise, we have come to learn who is Number One in our life.

There is a great sense of peace and contentment knowing that you don’t have to be better than anyone else. That God wants you to be the best you can be. That we are all created differently but distinctly in the image of God with the purpose to live for all eternity working with Him in whatever is best suited for us.  In fact, nowadays instead of seeking pre-eminence, we find ourselves serving others with more joy than ever before.  Instead of trying to become number one, we work at helping others to excel.  Instead of seeking the glory for self, we let it shine upon others.

As a disciple of His, we find it easier to put the pre-eminence where it belongs and that is on Jesus.  Instead of crawling over one another and competing against one another, we find it easier to place Jesus central and learn to serve Him and those He chooses to send our way.

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Our Glorified Dad, thank you for being number one in our life.  There is a great sense of peace and comfort knowing that no matter what we do or accomplish you will always be the Best in our book.  Help us to see others through your eyes. Help us to serve others through your eyes.  Help us to build up others especially those you have placed into the church.

Thank you for the assurance and faith to live this life as your child and pupil. Thank you for your tutoring and thank you for the privilege of serving others.  Help us channel the energy you give us to serving others and revealing you as first in life.  Whenever the opportunity comes, help us to always place you first in the eyes of others and keep this servant in humble submission to your Kingdom.  Amen.

Your Consultant & Coach for Christ-Centered
Business Owners & Executives

Dr. Mike

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God

Will Someone Please Lend Us Their Sunglasses?

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , ,

sunglasses

My parents sent two of their three children through twelve years of parochial school, myself being one of the two.  One fortunate or unfortunate aspect of going to a private school was the dress code.  All males had to dress conservatively in dark color pants, a white or blue dress shirt and a tie.  So for twelve years the only colors I knew on a regular basis was white and blue.  And I was comfortable with it.  In fact, so comfortable that after we married my wife looked at all my clothes in the closet and shook her head in amazement.  Before we married, she didn’t realize that I had a white or blue shirt for everyday of the week.  They were the only colors in my wardrobe.  Since then, she has introduced me to all the colors of the rainbow plus some.  Today you will find a few white and blue shirts, but the majority are every other color and style that has been manufactured  in my lifetime.  And we are thankful.

There are more colors in life than the basic white and blue.  Likewise, there are greater excitements and adventures in life than what many of us experience in our daily routine.  For most of us as we age, life has become dull and predictable.  We have forgotten how to dream.  If we still dream, we probably dream only in black and white.  We have lost the hunger and thirst of drawing masterpieces and have settled for plain black and white prints.  We would rather accept a dull existence than put forth the effort of adding color into our gray life.

“Don’t rock the boat.” “I’m miserable and enjoy it.” “I’m just an average Joe, what can I do.”  These attitudes have been shared with us over the years.  Yet we have also seen them changed when people recover from their blindness and begin to witness to the ever-changing colors of God’s living spectrum.  God is a God of color.  He has created a world with color and variety.  When we accept Him into our lives, we accept the way He thinks and the way He views life.  He views life with color, action, and adventure balanced with peace, love, and joy.

Many of us had big dreams in our youth. But life destroyed them. The everyday battles and struggles to cope with its demands simply entombed them. After you wallow in your sins and experience the hopelessness of life apart from God, you become like a beaten dog that just doesn’t care anymore.  But then one day, after crying out to God in his great mercy, He begins to redress you.  He starts by placing a white robe over you, signifying the forgiveness of your sins and how He views you thereafter.  After which, He opens your mind to the possibilities with Him as your Partner.  Nothing becomes impossible.  Anything is a reality when He is first in your life.  As you walk with Him, you discover all the colors of God.  You experience all the inner joys and peace that He makes possible.  You discover how to dream again, with colors that the world hasn’t even captured.  As you allow Him to lead you each day, each day becomes a day of adventure filled with action.  Not the Hollywood version, but the heavenly one.  You begin to see how He is touching the lives of others.  You begin to become a part of His plan.  You begin to become a star in a world darken with sin.  You are now a disciple of His.

A DISCIPLE’S PRAYER

PRAY 9

Dear Dad, You are an abundant God with a vast spectrum of choices.  Thank you for breaking down any walls that have come between us.  Help us in our discontentment.  All these years we have lived in failure.  No one knows the real us.  No one seems to care.  Open the doors of heaven and help us experience your awesomeness and greatness.  Lead us down the journey and adventure of being a full time disciple of Jesus Christ.  Help us to follow you wherever you lead us. Build within us your masterpiece.  Let your creation glorify you in everything we do.  Let us not settle for mediocrity.  Instead, make a difference in this life and let this life make a real difference in the life of others.  Thank you Jesus as we pray in your name.  Amen.