Living in God’s presence

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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God is Always with YOU!

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ , , ,

Zephaniah 3:17 

The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Amos 5:14

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.

Isaiah 8:10

Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.

1 Chronicles 17:2

Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

Exodus 3:12

And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

Genesis 21:22

At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.

So many scriptures reference God’s presence in people’s lives. And the presence is so often noticed by those around them. One of the first awareness’s we come too when starting out on this journey of faith is the realization Someone is watching over you.

Circumstances and events occur outside of your control or knowledge which we come to call blessings and they reoccur over and over again. After the umpteen time, you begin to hilariously laugh praising God for the outcome.

Then there are those times when your back is against the wall; there is no easy solution and you don’t know which way to turn, when from an unexpected source a “miracle” occurs. You can’t explain it; science and logicians are dumbfounded. Yet looking back, you realize as helpless the situation you found yourself, there was an inner peace and comfort that kept assuring you everything will work out.

When you come to acknowledge God is for you and always with you, your demeanor changes. You find yourself at awe that the Creator of the universe actually wants to spend time with you. Not because of how awesome you are, but because He loves you as a grandparent loves their grandchildren.

God is working out a purpose that involves you and me. He enjoys sharing life with you and me. He gets excited as we grow and mature into the image of His Son. He has big plans for you and me. Maybe not what you may be expecting in this life, but most definitely for eternity.

Yet he knows we are only human. Born to eventually physically die.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed his one command, God didn’t abandon them. He evicted them from the Garden of Eden for their own sake. But He remain with them. He orchestrated all the human events from Abraham through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And He still is working out human events toward the culmination of all things. He has never left us nor forsaken us.

Even when misguided preachers speak about God turning his back on Jesus at the cross because of all the sins is a misnomer. God was always with him. Jesus, because of the blindness of all the sins of the world coming upon him, loss sight of God at that moment. But God was still with him. God never forsook Jesus. Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 which is the opening sentence that expresses mankind’s empty feelings when we feel God has abandon us. Yet Psalm 22 is followed by Psalm 23 which restores the confidence and faith that God is always with us.

So remember, no matter what you are going through, or how you feel about your relationship with the living God, HE is ALWAYS with YOU.   

  

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Encourager & Founder of
Vocational Leadership 360
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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Living in God’s Presence

Dr. Mike Business & Faith, Jesus Apprentice, Journey in Christ, Kingdom Paradigms, Life in Christ , , ,
“…And behold, I (Jesus) am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 ESV

presence 3

Want to participate in the greatest adventure of life?
Want an accountability partner that understands you?
Want to be held by a higher standard?
If so, live in the presence of God.

The other day, the worship leader invited God into the church service. My thought was “isn’t He here already?”

The preacher standing on the street corner with his sign predicting the end of the world shouted, “God wants nothing to do with you until you repent.” Which begs the question: doesn’t God gracefully provide rain and sunshine to the just and unjust?

The business owner after a very profitable year asks the pastor “how much do I need to donate to the church to keep receiving God’s blessings?” Which leads to another question: Is our relationship with God built on a contractual arrangement or a grace-filled, loving Father?

When one begins to understand the good news of Jesus Christ, one relishes the joy of living in His Presence. When the self is denied, the personal cross is carried, and we follow Jesus wherever He leads us, the world begins to look differently.

When we realize that every person we meet has been reconciled and included by Jesus Christ at the cross, Kingdom values take over. As we meet people, we prayerfully seek to discover how the Spirit is working with the person. We seek ways to love the person as Christ loves us; through service. Our objective is to witness Jesus to the person without words. To allow the Spirit to convict and introduce the person to the savior of the world.

As we enter the marketplace, we seek to participate with Jesus in the work we do. We strive to balance excellence with love as a witness of God’s Kingdom economy. In everything we do, we acknowledge Him. We prayerfully ask, seek, and knock for solutions in business and relationships. We judge no one; not even ourselves. We live fully accountable to Jesus.

When wrong, he will discipline us. When right, he will help us to keep humble as we know it all comes from Him. Where we lack faith, we will rely on his. When love flickers, we ask Him to intercede. When walking, bicycling, or driving, we communicate with Him. We seek ways to bring glory to Him. As we place our trust in Him, he reveals Himself through the people and means that come our way. We become more aware of His work in the world. We seek ways to participate with His purposes. Wherever we fail, he is there to carry us through to the very end.

He is always with us. He is always available and nearer to you than you and I even realize. Be glad to live in His presence each and every day.

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