godliness

Focus. Filter. Execute.

Dr. Mike 2026 , , , , ,

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  Philippians 4:8

It begins with desire filtered through the mind. When our heart aligns with God’s character, it is a good place to be. When our aim agrees with the reality of God’s Kingdom, we know heaven’s resources are at our disposal. And when our focus allows Jesus to live HIS life through us, we eagerly execute our willpower with HIM. The outcome is a taste of godliness for all to share.

The apostle Paul lists a few godly values we need to focus our hearts on and learn to practice in our everyday life. He emphasizes whatever circumstances we face, we need to learn to focus on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy. The acronym I use is “THE J PPLC” approach. (You may want to create your own).

What if every situation you find yourself in, your mind automatically went through this checklist. And you align your heart with your willpower to habitually respond. Like all good habits, it starts with intentional focus. As we practice each step, our mind becomes wired to immediately respond. Then our willpower is trained to follow.

Let’s take the example of social media.

You are flipping through your influencer list and stop when the emotional words hit a cord in your heart. As you listen and investigate further, you are becoming angry. If not equip to handle emotional issues, you immediately comment with an angry reply. The battle begins. But what if instead you followed Paul’s criteria.

Before jumping to conclusions and immediately responding, you did your homework. First, how would you verify what you heard is actually the truth? Is it all true or only a part of it?

Next, what would be the most honorable outcome of such an event? If this be true, how can I best reply in an honorable fashion?

What would Biblical justice look like? Do I have a few Bible examples I can share? How would Jesus handle such a situation? What would an innocent person with a clean heart see here?

How can love lead here? What would be the loving act to perform? How do I reply with love?

Can anyone be commended for there actions here? What can I acknowledge was properly done? How can I commend them?

Was anything achieved beyond the normal? Can I recognize any excellence in the situation? What can I praise here?

These are only a few questions that come to mind. But they are a starting point to filter your mind with a response that is built on godly virtue. At first, it may take a while to sort through the entire list. But this will allow you to gain control of your emotions and seek a healthy response to choose.

The object is to train your mind to filter your desires and the facts before responding. As this over time becomes a habit, you will learn when to respond immediately and when best to wait. As always, you will lean on Jesus in prayer during the process. HE will also open your heart and mind to questions and concerns you haven’t even knew existed.

The bottom-line is to learn how to filter your desires with godly virtue before taking any action.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Practicing Godliness

Dr. Mike 2024, Uncategorized , , ,

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.   1 Timothy 4:7-8

What if we pursue godliness with the same intensity as career professionals? As athletes craft their trade. As body builders train themselves for maximum performance.

How would that change your life?

Yet, how many of us are like the weekend athlete? We dream of the opportunity to play like a professional. But are unwilling to commit and pay the price of change. We treat the activity as a hobby and not a life-commitment. Yet is not training for godliness what being an apprentice of Jesus is about?

The challenge many of us may have is capturing a picture of what godliness looks like. Few of us have had healthy role models to emulate. The ones we may have experienced were probably religious zealots. They caused more pain and sorrow in everyone’s life. They were the anti-role models. The encounter with them left us with a bitter taste in our mouth.

But, there are those of us who witness and shared time with godly people. They exemplified the life of the Biblical Jesus. We are most grateful. We had a positive glimpse of the character of God in action.

Yet God doesn’t leave us on our own. When one comes to know the Triune God, Father/Son/Spirit, one slowly discovers a life worth imitating. Though God is invisible, HE leaves HIS markings all around us.

The beauty of creation. The design and operation of the human body. The strategic plan of salvation. Everything around us shows off HIS workmanship. Everything made is a reflection of HIM.

So when we acknowledge humans are made to reflect HIS image, the groundwork is laid. The goal now is to become more like HIM. The question is how?

Enter Jesus Christ. When we study into HIS life, we witness God in the flesh. Jesus stated when you look at HIM you are also looking at our Father God. When one knows Jesus has been resurrected and now lives to intercede for us, we have a high priest to minister us. We also allow the Holy Spirit entrance into our heart. We now have a coach ready to assist us to make godliness real in our life.

How? By practicing God’s ways in the routine of everyday life.

We may start with the basics. Look at how the early church in Acts 2 practiced godliness. They began to train themselves through four basic disciplines. They gain knowledge under the teaching of the apostles. They shared meals together. They fellowship together. They prayed. Over the centuries, different saints also practiced other disciplines found in the Bible. They included meditation, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, fasting, and, silence. There are many more practices than these. These are just a few for one to select from depending how the Spirit is working with you. 

One also needs to be careful and not turn the practice into a legalistic approach to living. Instead, the discipline is a way to attune yourself to God and HIS grace. The process is an indirect way of strengthening one’s relationship with the living God. As one does, one finds themselves slowly becoming more like HIM in character. Iron sharpens iron and one person sharpens another is a Biblical proverb. The same can be said about practicing godliness. The more we hang out with Father/Son/Spirit, the more we will catch HIS ways.

In fact, one of my favorite disciplines is to live under the presence of Jesus and HIS Kingdom in every area of my life. Yes, there are many moments when the reality hits that I haven’t totally surrender my all to HIM. That always reminds me that there is much work HE has yet to do in me. It keeps me humble and appreciating HIS grace on a regular basis. As we surrender each corner of our kingdom, HE continues to share HIS vast richness of life with us each day. Yes we practice every day to be prepared for the moment of truth. For we have learned that practicing godliness is good for daily living and for the life to come.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Faith-Integrator, Encourager, Scribbler

“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,” (Colossians 1:9)

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Power. Prestige. Possessions.

Dr. Mike 2023 , , ,

Luke 22:25-26

And he (Jesus)said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.

Luke 9:46-48

An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

Luke 12:15

And he (Jesus) said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Human desires have not changed since the first man and woman focused their primary attention on the fruit from one tree among thousands in the garden of paradise. Their desire to immediately become like God bypassing HIS timetable caused them to lose the most important relationship in their life. Has anything changed since then?

You and I were designed in the image of our Creator. We are made to reflect his glory. Yet we stumble more times than not because of our ignorance of what is truly good. Instead of yielding ourselves to the authority of our Creator and waiting until HE acknowledges we are ready to accept more responsibility, we rebel because we want to do it our way now.  

In some cases, we may also hold to the false illusion we are different than others and have the capacity to better manage ourselves where they fall short. Yet time and our actions throughout history continually prove us wrong.

Somewhere I recall reading one of the self-help books where the author’s main point when selling anything to anyone was to take advantage of the need and desire people have to feel important. What life has shown me over time is some people have a greater need than others to be important in their eyes. The vicious trap of seeking self-importance through power, prestige, and possessions is the insecure game people play to compete against others for the top of the hill.

Now Jesus addresses these issues three different times with his disciples. For those who seek power, they should seek to become servants. For those who want to have the most prestigious position, they need to become like little children. And those who covet possessions, are battling against the spirit of greed within materialism and need to become rich toward God if they are going to save their soul.

The solution to break these vices are counter-intuitive to human nature. Our natural desire is for self-importance. But Jesus emphasizes humility. He instructs us to submit ourselves to HIS authority in life. When we do, HE provides us with HIS Spirit which empowers us to become more like HIM.

In HIS Kingdom, all power, prestige, and possessions belong to HIM. He is willing to share the same with others when they have the proven character to manage these items for HIS glory and for the sake of others. For example, power is typically noticed only when it is abused. In HIS Kingdom, serving others for their enrichment is the prime motivating factor. Not self-aggrandizement.

Leadership also walks in meekness. The role is to serve others, not for one’s glory, but for the glory of God and the benefit of others.

Likewise, possessions belong to King Jesus. Each child of God are stewards of HIS belongings. HE gives us the responsibility to manage them for our families and others who are in need.

HIS entire Kingdom is built upon HIS character and attributes. When we follow HIM in our walk with each other, we live in harmony with heavenly principles being acted upon on earth today. This is God’s way of living which again is counter-intuitive to human nature. To become effective saints living out God’s Way of life requires HIS Spirit and knowledge of HIM. Anything less is our guessing to live a productive life. Yes, we may become #1 in our hierarchy at the expense of all others. However, God’s way makes Jesus #1 and brings everyone else to join HIM at HIS table.

Yes, God, you, and all others participate at the victory table when we fully live out the Christian life.    

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager, Faith-Integrator, Scribbler

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