Kingdom of God

A Disciple on a Mission

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

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If today someone deposited $86,400 dollars into your bank account with instructions that you either use it or lose it, what would you do?  If at the end of the day you still had $20,000 in the account, could you afford to waive it good-bye?

What if $86,400 was deposited into your bank account everyday hereafter under the same scenario?  Whatever you didn’t use would be taken away at the end of the day.  How would you plan your life thereafter?  Would you see to it that the entire $86,400 is used or invested each day instead of taken away at the end of the day?  Could you choose to either use it or lose it?

Coincidentally isn’t the time in our life just as valuable?  There is 86,400 seconds in a twenty-four hour day.  Are we not given this time each day to use and invest accordingly?  Whatever time we don’t use. we lose.  So this begs the question, how do we invest the time in our life?  Do we squander the time away?  Do we waste the time on unproductive projects?  Do we find ourselves working on unimportant assignments?

Somewhere in our lives, we were probably introduced to the 80/20 concept. Simply stated, we produce approximately eighty percent of the results in our life from twenty percent of the activities.  Likewise, with the remaining twenty percent of results, we produce with approximately the other eighty percent of the activities.  Understanding this principle, wouldn’t we try to focus on the first scenario?

Suppose we write out what is important in our life, including our personal mission statement, and then proceed to select which activities would give us the greatest payback to achieve the desired results we want.  Some people could have this exercise made over night and be living totally focused the next day.  Others however may take a few extra days of planning and prayer to start the journey.  Either way, after we start there is no going back.  When one becomes focus on purpose, one begins to use every resource at one’s disposal to accomplish their goals.  Typically, our mission takes on intense concentration, focus, and passion.  We can’t slow down if we wanted to because we have made the commitment to make a difference for the Kingdom of God.  We know God is with us.  We know our hearts and desires are true and pure.  We know our motivation  is godly.  We know whatever difficulties come our way, God will give us the inner peace and comfort through the Holy Spirit.  We won’t let up, because we are on Kingdom business.  We are disciples of His with a mission.  His missions don’t fail.  Ours may fail, but when aligned with God’s, look out!

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 9

Our Eternal Dad, thank you for creating us and preparing us for eternity!  Thank you for answering our prayers in regards to managing the time in our life.  Help us always to redeem each minute.  Help us to focus our attention on all the important areas of our life.  Help us to focus on you, our health, our family relationships, our time being productive at work without wasting the day away.

Our time is yours.  You have redeemed us.  You have redeemed our time.  Help us use each minute of every hour glorifying you through our actions, thoughts, and accomplishments.  Let your name be praised every minute of every day.

Thank you Jesus. Amen.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Coach, Consultant, and Encourager

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God

Even in Silence Our Walk Is Loud

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

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If you are like most responsible parents, you find yourself providing advice, teaching about life, and answering questions whenever you are with your children.  Sometimes, or some children would say most of the time, when you get started it’s hard for you to keep it short and to the point.  Most children remind us that we are not preaching a sermon but only answering a simple question.

If you are like most parents, you’ve made your share of mistakes and want to prevent your children from making the same, if at all possible.  Of course, like most young people, they take what they hear and assimilate it with what they see. They will focus on people who walk the talk.  Like most of our youngsters, they are aware that there is a lot of people who talk a good story but their actions reveal their true intentions.

Like most responsible parents, we probably try to walk the talk.  Sometimes though, we spend more time talking then walking.  Other times, we simply walk.  Whether we are talking or walking, we’ve come to realize that we are being observed, studied, and scrutinized.  Yet, with nothing to hide, our glass house is always open with our character being watched by family, friends, and co-workers every single day.

One characteristic being observed is our faith.  It is a faith that doesn’t know how to shut up showcasing itself through actions every day and every week.  A faith that whispers between friends and shouts among neighbors; a faith shining brightly on some days but cloudy on others.  A faith revealed in a simple life; a faith capable of moving mountains, but settles for picking up stones; a faith yearning to hear the word, live the word, and preach the word.  A faith that shouts even in silence – it would speak through the pores of our skin if we didn’t have a mouth.  A faith built on the foundation of Jesus, the universal Church, His word, and the Holy Spirit.  A bold faith built with human limitations.  Who needs to talk when faith is speaking?

Yet, God created us with the ability to speak., to communicate our feelings, emotions, understandings, and thoughts.  We are able to share our faith with each other; to encourage and buildup each other in the faith.  We are disciples learning to live the faith, preach the faith, teach the faith, and buildup the faith.  Even if we were incapable of communicating with the word, our actions would shout the faith of our Lord and Savior.  He is living His life in us.  He is our faith.

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Our Faithful Dad, how your silence deafen us.  When we pray and don’t receive immediate answers, we only wait with greater patience.  When we seek and do not find, we only search deeper.  When we knock and you do not answer, we just keep ringing the bell.

You are always with us and that we know.  But at times we feel alone.  Then we pray and recall all the times you have intervened on our behalf.  Thank you.  Then we recall all the former answers to our prayers.  Thank you.  Then we think of all the ways you are capable of answering our requests.  Thank you.

You don’t need to speak. We see your answers all around us.  Thank you.  We see you in Jesus.  Thank you.  We hear you in our mind ears after we read your Book.  Thank you.  We feel you in our heart after we have communed together through prayer.  Thank you.  You are ever with us. before us, behind us, in us and around us.  Everywhere we go you are there.  We thank you Jesus for intervening in our prayer.  We shall seek expectantly.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Coach, Consultant, and Encourager

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God

What is Your Commitment Level?

Dr. Mike 2014, Journey in Christ , , , , , , , , , , ,

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What other pragmatic choices are there that make more sense?  If eternity is a one out of one hundred chance probability, would you still hang in there?  Everything in this life is temporary.  You came into the world naked and you might as well leave naked because you can’t take anything with you.  Is there a better life with a greater promise?  As his disciple, we put our faith in the man who claims He is God.  If He isn’t God, then He put on the greatest acting performance of any person who ever lived.  It would be the greatest lie of all history.  But, He made it possible to prove He is who He said He is.  Where else is there to go’?

Martin Luther King, Jr. made the statement once that if you haven’t found something worth dying for than you haven’t found something worth living for.  If being a disciple is only for outward appearance, than you might as well give up now. If being a disciple is only to keep peace in the house, than you might as well give up now.  If being a disciple is only a socially cultural acceptable position of life, than you might as well give up today.  Why?  Because you are not going to practice the discipline it takes to finish the race.

It takes character to keep Christ the center of one’s life.  What gain is it to run only 95 yards of a 100-yard race?  What gain is it to play only one inning of a nine-inning baseball game?  What gain is it to read only two-thirds through a mystery book and never finish it?  Why even begin a project if you don’t plan to finish it?

As a disciple of His, we have started a journey along a path with many choices.  The road is narrow at times.  The environment is difficult.  But the rewards are monetarily priceless.  After you have tasted the joy of living in the spirit-filled life, what else is there? Everything else seems cheap in comparison.  Everything else is either artificial or empty of substance.  It is only living in harmony with our Creator that we experience the inner life of real godliness.  We are not speaking of an outward appearance of godliness that many people could easily duplicate its behavior for a time.  But an inner joy, peace, and love that comes from the Creator in the presence of the Holy Spirit that lives in you.

It is this life that lives in you no matter what the outer world is experiencing.  This is what Paul spoke about when his world was being torn apart yet he found joy living.  This is the same spirit that is found in many Christ-followers today who may be physically challenged, or confronting cancer, or financial hardship, yet they are internally at peace.  It is not something they do, but it is a Special Spirit living in them.  To give up all that Christ makes available just doesn’t make sense.

Everything Christ makes available to us is what mankind seeks daily in their pursuit of vanity.  The only difference is He gives us this gift now and the rest of mankind is working to earn it.  Mankind wants peace, but doesn’t know how to attain it.  Mankind wants love in their life, but doesn’t know how to attain it.  Mankind wants joy in their life, hut doesn’t know where to find it.  Jesus has made it all possible for every single person to have everything mankind has been seeking since the beginning of dawn.  Why give up something so precious and valuable?  Let’s realize what we really have in our possession and live our life enjoying salvation accordingly as His Disciple.

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 8

Our Faithful Dad, your ways are the joys in our life.  Help us to live fully for you.  Help us to start with enthusiasm and finish with greater enthusiasm in everything we do for you.  Let nothing come between us.

Help us to keep  focused on what is always important each and every day.  Let each day begin and end with you.  Let everything sandwiched in between be lived with your approval.  Let us be true to you and honest with self in our pursuit of your kingdom.  Let your glory live in us forever!  Thank you Jesus.  Amen.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Coach, Consultant, and Encourager

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God