values

Family Trap

Dr. Mike 2021, Traps , ,

Luke 14:26

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Family is the basic building block of a healthy society. Within the healthy family, one learns values, builds character, shares the joy of victories and sorrow of defeats. The healthy family teaches us the importance of relationships and provides a safe haven for each member. The strong family lays the nucleus for a strong society.

On the other hand, a dysfunctional family leaves its mark on each individual member which carries with them throughout their life. When a child is raised by a single parent, or an abusive parent, those memories and scars are imprinted and carried in a person’s entire life. A destructive family weakens the social fabric of any nation.

Yet Jesus, raised by a Jewish family structure whose culture emphasizes the importance of family stated that HE is more important than family.     

Yes, family is important; probably the most important social fabric in your life. Yet as a disciple of Jesus Christ, family takes a secondary priority of roles. The trap is believing family is all you need.

Typically, God, family, and country are three values many Americans adhere too. And they are good, wholesome values worth keeping. The tripping point though is making family or country the central-core of one’s life rather than God. We see this happen often when children leave home and start their lives apart of their parents. Mothers who typically have made their children the central focus of their life have a greater difficulty handling the transition then those mothers who have lived a life with the Triune God their central-core of living.

When God is the central-core of life, our identity is found only in HIM. We do not confuse our roles with our identity. The role of father and mother do not identify us. They are temporary assignments. Our identity is found in Jesus Christ which is permanent and the foundation of our life. When we place him above family and ourselves, we reap the benefit of having a meaningful relationship and guide for the rest of our life. And that includes a guide with helping us navigate the difficult challenges of parenthood.

When we compare Jesus with our family or ourselves, the attitude of hate which Jesus used, is a strong language that demonstrates the priority of placing HIM first in relationship with ourselves and with family. When Jesus is the central-core of our lives, everything else falls into its proper place. Life takes on more meaning and purpose.

In fact, the road of discipleship with Jesus is one adventurous journey worth pursuing that includes your family, friends, and country. Yet, to be effective, Jesus needs to be the central-core of your life. Enough said.

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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Three Success Factors: Character. Morality. Values.

Dr. Mike 2021, Life Tools , ,

Ephesians 4:20-24

But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. (MSG)

Character is built upon the foundation of your soul. Your personality and innate traits and abilities make you unique. When you allow God’s Spirit full access into your inner chambers, you then begin to experience a fundamental shift in your thinking and worldview. You begin to view life from God’s perspective. Let your character be shaped by the Triune God and experience life’s most precious commodity: real, authentic living the way you were designed to be.

Romans 8:5-8

Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored. (MSG)

Morality is the bumper rail to keep you from destroying yourself and others. Like the bowling alley with rails to prevent the ball from leaving the lane, godly morals keep one from harming themselves or others in the long run. Morality keeps you in the game for the long term. Real freedom and a joyous life reside within morality.

Proverbs 3:13-18

You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom, when you make friends with Madame Insight. She’s worth far more than money in the bank; her friendship is better than a big salary. Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth; nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her. With one hand she gives long life, with the other she confers recognition. Her manner is beautiful, her life wonderfully complete. She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her. Hold her tight—and be blessed! (MSG)

Matthew 13:44

“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find! —and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. (MSG)

Matthew 6:19-21

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse! —stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (MSG)

Values are the treasurers worthy to attain for an abundant life. What to pursue and knowing what is important, and which value leads to a more productive, fulfilling, and enjoyable life depends on your chosen selection. Everything has a price and return on investment. Everyone has an opinion, but God who created value sets the standard of rank. Certain values will look pleasant in the short term, but lead to a great fall and other values will initially look old-fashion but take you along the better route toward a life worth living.

Character. Morality. Values. Three friends you and I want to hang around with and get to better know each and every day. Choose wisely and these three will lay your foundation for a real, sustaining, fulfilling life.

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

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2021 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved

Integrity

Dr. Mike Life Tools , ,

Proverbs 28:6

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

There are generally at least three types of authority in this world. Positional authority, expertise authority, and moral authority.

Positional authority is temporary. Your role as a supervisor, CEO, parent, or community leader is given for you to serve others. The authority you have is yours only because of the position you hold.

Expertise authority will last longer. Your knowledge of computers, your skill set to solve problems, repair automobiles, and build houses places you in the position of being an expert at your craft. People who take their natural abilities and develop skills upon their natural abilities, gain expertise in their field of study and become experts. They gain authority by their expertise.

Moral authority is yours for your entire life. People will follow you because of the fruit in your life. You may have position, be poor, lack knowledge in anything useful or practical, but your life enriches others simply by the way you live. Moral authority is built upon integrity. Doing what is right all the time even if it costs you. Whether or not someone is watching, people with integrity surround themselves with shields of conscience godliness. Integrity gives you moral authority.

You can build a successful career by exercising positional or expertise authority. However, without moral authority, your path will be short lived. Moral authority allows you to sustain yourself for the long term. People with integrity in the marketplace maintain relationships that helps each other grow for the long term. People without integrity slowly find themselves without associates who are willing to risk working with them because of the distrust of prior experiences.

Integrity is the backbone and foundation for a fulfilling life. Integrity demands the exercise of character. If you want a mate or friend with character, that you can trust and build a life around, analyze the fruit of their character. How do they manage in a crisis? What are they like when no one is watching? How do they relate with others, especially those who are different than them? Do they respect authority? What are the values they live by?  When you meet a person with integrity, count it a blessing and add them to your list of associates you want to spend time travelling through life. They will make you stronger and support you in the moral authority you flame.  

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

Encourage a Friend…Share Today’s Message!

Copyright 2013-2020 Abbaco LLC | All Rights Reserved