discipleship

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.

Faith Moves Mountains

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , ,

Sight Observes It; Faith Moves It

faith

We live by faith, not by sight (IICorth5:7). Remember how in our youth when someone would make a statement and another person would reply “Prove it?” The more unbelievable the statement, the more we needed to see something factual to substantiate it. Well it doesn’t change when one becomes older unless you have received the faith to believe.

Think of all the invisible features of the physical world around you. Over time, it becomes easier to understand that there are forces and powers that are invisible to the eye but the effects are real. For example, the gravity of the earth cannot be seen but the effects are real. You drop a ball from the tall building and it will drop. You cannot see gravity but you do see how the ball is affected by it. Likewise, the wind is something that cannot be seen but the effects are real. The wind blows and you cannot see it but you may feel it or you may witness the top of the tree branches blowing about. The same is true about the invisible nature of God. You cannot see God, but you can witness to the effects of His life.

Why is it so difficult to see without sight? Maybe,because sight living doesn’t require faith. Sight living is based on trusting the five senses. The rational goes if one cannot see it,feel it, taste it, hear it, or smell it, it cannot be real. But the fact is our senses cannot be trusted. Science has already done testing showing that our perceptions are incorrect more times than we realize.

There was the time in our graduate marketing class where the professor brought in twenty different bottles of various brands of natural water. Each bottle had a label identifying its producer. The room was divided in half and each of us would taste the water from each bottle to determine which water tasted the best. The end result was the bottle with the most prestigious label at the time came on top. The reality however was that each bottle had the same water taken from the school’s drinking fountain. The conclusion of the matter was that our taste buds were blinded by our perceptions. How much truer it is with our spiritual life?

What we see with our eyes is limited; but what we see with faith is unlimited.

What we hear with our ears is limited; what we hear with faith is unlimited.

What we touch with our hands is limited; but what we touch with faith is unlimited.

What we taste with our mouth is limited; but what we taste with faith is unlimited. 

What we smell with our nose is limited; but what we smell with faith is unlimited.

Or to simplify it, with our sight we can only observe the mountain; but with our faith we can move the  mountain.

As a disciple of His, we are finished and done with walking by sight and appreciate learning the great joy of walking by faith. How do you see it?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 9

Our Faithful Dad, help our unbelief. Help us to trust you.Help us to know you. Help us to see your work in our life.

You created everything and sustain everything, nothing is impossible for you.  You know our limitations and you know our potential. You know what it will take to convince us of your power and involvement in our life.Let us not doubt any longer. Please remove any limitations that we have imposed on ourselves. Open the door and help us see your awesome power in our life.

You are always faithful Dad.Help us have the same faith that Jesus had while He walked on earth.  Help us have the same faith that you have today. We thank you and make these requests known to you. Amen.

Dr. Mike – Consultant, Coach, Author of

Great Business Emulates a Good God