Knowing God

What is God Like?

Dr. Mike 2022, Jesus Christ , ,

Colossians 1:15 (AMP)

15 He (Jesus) is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. 

Yep, if you want to know what the invisible God is like, then study the life and person of Jesus Christ. Like the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Colossians, Jesus is the full representative of God Almighty.

Paul writes emphasizing Jesus’ status from the beginning of creation through now being the life-source of the body of believers, and his position and purpose over heaven and earth.

Jesus’ is the total representation of who and what and how God relates, moves, thinks, and acts between people and events. When you study Jesus’ attitude, beliefs, and actions we capture a deeper glimpse into the heart and mind of God Himself.

I remember once waking up at 2:00am upset over conditions in the world and praying God would send someone to intervene. Then it occurred to me HE already did and will return to straighten out the mess us humans have the habit of continually creating in our ignorance and stupidity.

So, if you haven’t done yet, why not make it a goal this year to read and reread the New Testament and discover more for yourself who God is like through the words, teachings, and life of Jesus Christ.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Author of e-Books

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

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God Seekers

Dr. Mike 2021, Knowing God , ,

Hebrews 11:6

…for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Psalm 10:4

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Deuteronomy 4:29

But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Simply stated – sometimes I wonder if life’s prime purpose is nothing more but to discover and walk with the God of the universe. The same God who created heaven and earth (Gen 1:1). The One who worked with Moses, David, and the prophets from the Old Testament along with all the saints in the New Testament. The God who from the foundation of the world created everything with a specific goal. Could that goal simply be to enjoy a benevolent relationship with HIM and each other?

Life has the tenancy to involve us in many different activities. Just the act of survival in many third world countries is an all-day affair. In more developed nations, the routine job of living has become more automatic and convenient allowing us to pursue avenues of perceived self-fulfillment. Yet at the end of our lives, what do we have to show?

The rich continue to become richer building up storage barns for their wealth. In comparison, the poor struggle for just the basic necessities of life. Yet both will leave everything behind when life’s curtain closes. So why bother start a race if you know how it will end?

If eternity doesn’t exist, and this life is it, then why bother doing anything for the simple pleasure of feeling happy for a few moments? If this is one’s perspective, then yes life is meaningless and empty and void of any reason for doing anything. BUT what if eternity is real?

What if the Biblical narrative is true? What if Jesus Christ is the Messiah promised thousands of years ago? Then would there be a reason to live with purpose and meaning greater than ours?

I strongly believe God created everything for you and I to enjoy life now and into eternity with HIM. That assurance has become stronger and stronger each day as we pursue our dreams and fight our daily battles. As we seek HIM, HE draws closer to us with HIS thoughts. As HE becomes known to us, we begin to witness HIS involvement with everyday life. As HE answers our prayers, we become struck in awe as how HE works out circumstances and changes hearts to fulfill our desires. And when we fail to live up to HIS righteousness, HE reminds us of HIS love for us and that we are already included in HIS family.

This walk of faith started in my late teen years when I surrendered to HIM without even knowing WHO HE IS. I started to seek HIM and have kept wanting to know more and more about HIM. I discovered more about HIS character and heart through the daily actions of living and studying in HIS world. Math, science, and history open the doors to reveal more of HIS ways. Love, Joy, and fatherhood are moments that reveal more of HIS brilliant mind. The gospel of Jesus Christ solidified HIS superior insight into how human nature is best unleashed for the benefit of all mankind.

Yes, one must be a God Seeker if one wants to experience life the way HE intended us to be. When we make HIM the central core of all other relationships and objectives, life gains real meaning and purpose. When one begins to understand HIS ways and implement those means into their very steps, real freedom and flourishment is experienced by the self and others. The more amazing thing though, is we have only seen a small fraction of WHO HE IS. It will take eternity to discover and learn how the most successful BEING in the universe thinks, works, and plays. And I for one look forward to each day now and the hereafter toward that realization.

What about you?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Author of e-Books

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Believe

Dr. Mike 2021, Business & Faith, Kingdom Paradigms, Life in Christ , ,

John 17:8,20-21

“For I (Jesus) have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me…I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Yes, I believe. I believe Jesus Christ is who HE claims HE IS: The Incarnate Son of God, King of Heaven and Earth, and Humanity’s Savior. I believe the Bible is a recorded narrative of God’s relationship with mankind and written for our sake. We can choose to believe or not.

I didn’t believe all this at the beginning of my faith journey. All I knew was if there was a God, he needs to intervene or this young man’s life was not going to make it through his teen years. And HE did.

Every journey begins with a set of beliefs. Our actions, decisions, and choices are based on these deeply held perceived truths. The more we exercise them, and the results come true, the more confident we become in our beliefs. However, whenever our actions repeatedly fail, we eventually evaluate our belief system and discard the unreliable “truth” for another.

Over a life time, certain beliefs become our anchor – we have proven their fundamental truths over and over again with similar favorable results. Other beliefs are still being evaluated. How many of us though purposely select and choose our beliefs?   

Our initial beliefs are indoctrinated into our souls through family, friends, and teachers. In our early lives, we are typically ignorant of our surroundings and the makeup of our soul. Even as adults, the social and news media bombard us with the latest fads and the current fear factors which we subconsciously allow into our belief safe. 

However, one day (could be late teens or now-a-days even late fifties) we start struggling with our interval belief system. We start questioning everything we have been told. When reality sets in and the realization we have been lied too, manipulated by others for their sake, and then in those extreme cases, thrown out with the bathwater, we most often find ourselves angry and hurt.

Unless we are grounded on a bedrock of fundamental beliefs proven over eons of time, the majority of us will substantially modify our belief system. The transition though is most often costly of time, relationships, and money. The best prevention is having a healthy family upbringing by parents who are grounded in solid values and beliefs. Where does healthy values and beliefs come from?

The number one bestselling book of all time is still the Bible. There is a reason. Within its pages contains valuable principles and truths which have been proven over time to work. The Book also points to the importance of having a relationship with the living God. When one walks with HIM, one slowly becomes more and more like HIM.

Per Jesus’ prayer in John 17, we become one with our Father God and Jesus Christ. When we do, we learn the foundational truths of life; gain knowledge, understanding, and wisdom to manage everyday life; and find assurance and purpose for living.

Yes, beliefs allow us to focus and put structure into our world. If we don’t believe in the Triune God, we will never seek out what HE has for us. On the other hand, for those of us who believe, our focus is to seek HIM out in every day life situations. When we do, we begin to witness answers to prayer, reoccurring solutions from an invisible hand, and broken people healed from inside-out. Like the wind, which we may not see but only witness its impact, we likewise witness the effect when God’s Spirit is engaged with others.

In summary, in regards to the Triune God, to believe opens the window of opportunity to discover HIM and the truth; but not to believe, only closes the window of ever really coming to know HIM and a life built upon lasting truth.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Author of e-Books

 *  Dancing With God: Life-Giving Theology Explained
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved