life in christ

Graceful Love or Legalized Affection

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , , , , , , ,

LOVE 8

Love is one of those expressive words that has been overused and underperformed in the 21st Century.Typically, if you asked 10 people for a definition of love, you would probably receive as many remarks.They would include such catch phrases as:

an emotion that makes one feel good

a decision to act

a sexual encounter

a worshipful moment

an exhilarating experience

an intimate friendship

a temporary relationship

a hookup

an act of giving

There are other statements you have heard that you could also include on the list. Yet, at the end of the day isn’t the best standard of love the source itself: the Triune God. We witness that love in the relationship between our heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Both sides totally giving of themselves for the other. Not a 50%/50% partnership. But 100%/100% of total sacrificial blessing toward the other. Totally unconditionally as exemplified through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. He died for us while we were still rebelling against him. A graceful love is a totally, unconditional, freely given sacrificial expression without any strings attached.

On the other hand, how often have we experienced the legalized affection that some label as love. We have all witnessed that love somewhere in our lives. For example:

The parent that denies their emotional praise unless the child behaves according to specific demands.

The boss that manipulates others with a caring facade for the purpose of achieving their objectives; if not accomplished according to their desires, you end up in their dog house with no option for restoration.

The politician that kisses each baby in exchange for your vote. (every see a politician kiss a baby after the election?)

The wife or husband who refrains from sexual activity unless their mate meets their specific demands.

The little female princess that behaves accordingly to get what she truly wants from her Dad.

The neighbor who forcefully smiles across the fence at you yet internally mutters that life would be better off if you simply dropped dead.

The list is endless. The bottom line is we exhibit loving affection as long as others live up to our level of expectation. But the moment our standards are not met, we want to throw the bum out.

Legalized affection is “playing nice for what we want out of the relationship.” Graceful love is sacrificing ourselves for the betterment of the other with no other conditions except that God is glorified in the end. When God is glorified, Love gracefully wins. Which do you believe is the one God wants us to live?

OUR PRAYER

prayer 5

Holy Father, Holy Lord, and Holy Spirit – thank you for revealing to us what makes love work. Help us out of our ignorance, pride, and lust. Let your heart manifest our actions, thoughts, and words so that you are always glorified. Whatever we lack physically, mentally, socially and financially, provide us with the means and the resources to bless others as you bless us. Thank you Jesus for showing us the way. Amen.

Yours In Christ,
Dr. Mike
Consultant, Coach, Encourager

With God or Without God?

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , , , ,

with god 4

Dallas Willard, author and minister, passed away last year. I for one truly enjoyed his work and will miss him. He was blessed with insight to take “religious concepts” and make them practical for us non-theologians.

One of his concepts was to explain life as “the with-God life.” A life centered in Christ and experienced through the Holy Spirit. The opposite would be a life apart from God.  So in reflecting, I wrote below a few reasons why I enjoy the with-God life.

With God we enjoy His Blessings; apart from God we are confronted by luck.

With God we experience His divine nature; apart from God we are left along with our human limitations.

With God we catch His Life; apart from God we are taught life.

With God we are found in Christ; apart from God we are lost in Christ.

With God we are comforted by his Spirit; apart from God we are left on our own.

With God we have purpose for life; apart from God, we act like an accidental blip that evolved from cosmic dust.

With God we realize our divine design; apart from God, we strive to make ourselves unfulfilled.

With God we discover wholesomeness; apart from God, we are never satisfied.

With God we participate in his Story; apart from God, we mess up our lines.

With God we have hope; apart from God, we walk plagued by fear.

With God we learn to love; apart from God, we are painfully lonely.

With God we are fully alive; apart from God, we are dead men walking.

You may notice, I have a bias toward enjoying life with God. How about you?  What else would you add to the above list?

OUR PRAYER

PRAY 9

Our Holy Father, Holy Lord, and Holy Spirit — Thank you for sharing your life with us and allowing us to experience life as you intended it to be.  Let our life glorify you.  Let your Kingdom be fruitful wherever we go.  Let your Spirit touch the lives of all with we come into contact.  Help us live our life with you.  Wherever you go; whatever you are doing in our little world, help us see and participate with you.  Whoever we can meet and speak about you, give us the wisdom, words, and grace to honor you.  Bless this life so we can be a blessing for others.  Amen.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, and Encourager

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God

Where is God’s Domain?

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms , , , , , , , , ,

 

kingdom 9One of my disciplines is to read through the Bible each year. Though it may take longer some years than others depending on what concepts and verses jump out at me, I’m always amazed to discover something new about God or myself in the process each year.

This year we are reading the New Testament from a Greek Lexicon that contains the Greek and precise translation of each word in English.  Starting in the Book of Matthew, I was pleasantly surprised to notice that the Greek translation of “Kingdom of Heaven” in many of our English versions was originally written in Greek as “Kingdom of Heavens.”  The difference of course is that the Bible denotes three definitions for heaven. The first is the eternal habitat of God.  The second is the sky above the earth.  The third is the universal body of stars and planets that surrounds the earth.  Why does this matter?

The English translation of “heaven” implies that God’s government is only effective in his eternal habitat.  The Greek manuscript’s version “heavens” however reinforces that God’s domain includes all three heavens: everything in the universe, physically and eternally.  A larger domain than just the heaven that is God’s abode.  Whatever its worth, it simply reminds us that the Bible was not originally written in English and therefore requires us to do some homework before we accept what is written.  This is why it is good to have various translations that provide us with a more complete picture of the author’s intent and message.

So next time when we read Matthew’s gospel, remember that God’s kingdom and domain includes the entire heaven, earth, and universe.  But then again, you probably already knew that.

OUR PRAYER

prayer 5

Holy Father, Holy Lord, and Holy Spirit: Almighty God, we thank you for allowing us to live in your kingdom.  Thank you for also allowing us to experience your way of life through Christ Jesus.  Help us to share your life with others in our small world.  Help us to witness your way through our actions and if necessary through our words. Whatever we do, let it always glorify you.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Mike

Consultant, Coach, and Encourager

Author of Great Business Emulates a Good God