life in christ

Relate or Influence

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , ,
” For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1 John3:11 ESV

love lead

What do you seek from your relationships? Friendship? Love? Intimacy? Or do you simply use people for your personal agenda?

The older I become the more thankful I am for the friends and family in my world. What I realize now more than ever is that I didn’t go about asking them to change for me nor I for them. Instead, we accept each other as who we are and learn to appreciate each other as God created and gifted us. Whereas in the workplace in those early years, I made the immature mistake of wanting to change others. The focus was on influencing them by whatever means at my disposal. My goal wasn’t to build a mutual, beneficial, unconditional relationship, but to accomplish my agenda for the day.

Isn’t that how many of us relate with others? We either accept them for who they are or we try to influence them to change. That includes our children, parents, siblings, and yes our mates.

The other day I overheard a young woman who was recently married state that she loves her husband but there are a few things she is going to have to change about him if they are going to have a successful marriage. It brought back memories of my early married days when there were certain habits that my wife had (and still has) that I was going to change. Likewise, she would admit that there were many habits that I had (and still have) that she was going to change. Thankfully, we learned early enough that one can’t successfully change the other person from the outside-in. Instead we focused on building up the relationship rather than persuade the other person to our point of view.

Think about your relationships. Is the goal to mutually enjoy the love, friendship and maybe even the intimacy of marriage? Or is the goal to influence the other person to change for your sake?

I am always amazed at how Jesus related with other people. Have you ever noticed that His tenancy was to first relate with people by actually taking the time to love them and respect them for who they were? When verbally attacked, he would defend himself with the appropriate answer. The only time he emotionally exploded was in the temple with the money changers and again with the self-righteous religious leaders who constantly tried to trap him (even then it could be debated that he was practicing tough love techniques). Otherwise, he spent his time solving people’s problems. He healed them. He ate with them. He partied with them. And as a rabbi, he taught them.

His primary focus was to first love the people wherever he went. His influence came later through the people who he invested time with during his 3 1/2 year ministry. His influence was a byproduct of his relationship. He loved first; and then let his love be the influence that transformed lives in and through others. Isn’t that a good plan for all of us to follow?

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Being Fully Human

Dr. Mike Life in Christ , ,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

fully human 1

In the Book of Genesis, we discover that God made man in His image after His likeness (Gen.1:26). In Psalm 8:4, King David asked the question “what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” The writer of Hebrews in 2:6 likewise refers to the same question and adds more thought behind the remark. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes that life in Christ makes us a new creation.

What does this all mean for you and me?

There are times when I look at our culture, I cry. My heart hurts for the people who don’t really understand what Jesus means in their everyday life. For example, people may know about Him, the Cross and Resurrection, but not realize the importance of the Ascension.

The fact is Jesus ascended into Heaven not only as a divine being but also as a resurrected human. As a human, he experienced the same emotional, psychological, and physical stress that every person deals with on a daily basis. More so, hanging on the cross the sins of every person past, present, and future was transported into his inner humanity. He knows what it means to be human. He experienced the pain of sin without ever committing sin himself (Heb.4:15).

Our connection with Father God is through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ union with Father God is because of his divinity. His union with humanity is because of his bodily life. Mankind has union with Jesus because of His humanity. When we pray to our Father God, Jesus intercedes on our behalf. When we pray not knowing how and what to say, His Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26-7). He is our High Priest.

He is more involved in yours and my life than you and I may ever realize. He cares about you in ways you haven’t even considered yet. He wants what is best for you. He knows what it means to be human. He is our standard for what it means to be human.

He wants you to experience the same love, joy, and hope he carried with him when he walked the earth. He wants you to grow and experience the same thrills he does. Jesus wants to hang-out with you.

When Father/Son/Spirit created the world, earth, and mankind, he said it was “very good.” He wants us to experience the same sense of accomplishment through our work. When Jesus healed the sick, he experienced the power of God changing people’s lives. He wants us to experience the same when we serve others. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he became the first fruit of a new creation. The merger of humanity with divinity. The physical merging with the spiritual. The future new heaven and new earth being lived in the present. Heaven on earth.

Being fully human is really living and experiencing everyday life in Christ.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
* Great Business Emulates a Good God
* Be Radical…Follow Christ!
* Simply The Messenger
* Unequally Married

Learn. Integrate. Grow.

 

 

Separation

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms, Life in Christ ,
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-8 ESV

separate 1

Sometimes people remark that I may confuse the issue because of little details that don’t tie up all the loose ends. For example, the concept of sin and separation from God.

I grew up believing when I sinned God was angry at me. That sin was repulsive to God. That He would turn His back to me. That sin prevented God from blessing me. In some ways, it seemed that Sin was bigger than God. That God didn’t want to have anything to do with me because of that sin I committed last night without even being aware of it. Somewhere, someplace I was led to believe that I was the problem of sin. That when I sinned, God separated Himself from me.

It now amazes me more than ever what happens when the truth becomes known. For example, Father/Son/Spirit God is truly greater than any sin ever committed or known on planet earth. Jesus, who represents God on earth for humanity to witness, walked among sinners. He worked, played, and ate with sinners. He deliberately spent time with them. He didn’t separate himself from sinners. Instead he conquered sin for us.

When we sin, God doesn’t walk away from us. He doesn’t turn his back to us. Instead, he pursues us even more so. He knows the ramifications of sin. He witnessed it with Satan. Yet He still allowed Satan to hang around heaven (Job 1:6). When Adam and Eve sinned, He didn’t walk away from them. Instead he came looking for them. It was they who hid from God. It was they who became afraid and sought to hide from God.

When we sin, we hurt ourselves. We hurt those around us. Our mates, children, parents, friends, and associates all are recipients of sin’s poison. God doesn’t turn away from us. Those around us may, but God doesn’t. He wants us to realize his forgiveness. And because of his forgiveness, he wants us to repent. He wants us to be truly thankful for what He does for us. Showering us with constant grace and care.

Whenever the nation Israel fell into the practice of idolatry, God would patiently wait for the proper moment before he would intercede and bring the nation back into the fold. Whenever we sin, God likewise waits patiently for us before he intercedes and brings us back to him. When King David committed adultery and murder, God used the prophet Nathan to bring the sin to his attention. When realizing his sin, David quickly repented. God didn’t disown David. Instead, He helped David to grow in maturity and responsibility. He does the same for you and me today.

Sin doesn’t separate us from God. It blinds us from seeing God. It may block God’s Spirit from freely flowing through us. But God is always there. He loves us. Wants what is best for us. In some ways, He uses sin to help us appreciate and grow in his grace. Like King David, when we are convicted of sin, we quickly repent. In repentance, we are thankful for the life He shares with us, His grace, His mercy, and everything else he has reserved for us.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Learn. Integrate. Grow.