Sin (shame-inside-needlessly)…
In some cases, the church has done a number on us by bludgeoning us with sin, such that we feel unworthy the cast an upward glance toward heaven. To make matters worse, we have an adversarial “gremlin” continually whispering accusing lies into our mind, feeding our self-loathing and feelings of not being “good enough”. But God did not intend for us to bathe in shame, rather when we sin, He wants us to feel Continue reading
Do you want to be more joyful, have more energy, live with more passion? The key to a more vibrant and more vital life is an open heart. When our heart is open, love and Divine energy flows through us. When we are filled with this love-based energy, we feel like we can take on the world. We have more light, more power and greater energy to move forward in life. When we close our hearts, we hide in the darkness within and we are cut off from both receiving or imparting light & love. The key to remember is that opening allows Divine energy in & closing blocks it out.
How much love do you want to feel? How much passion do you want to have for the things you do? How full do you want your life to be? If you want to live a joyful, passionate life, Continue reading
Our concept of who God is, typically comes from our religious upbringing. Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Episcopalians and all the rest of the denominations have their own idea of who God is and how he manifests Himself. The sad truth is that we often hold so tightly to our own religious ideals, we fail to recognize truth as it shows up in other areas.
God is certainly bigger that any religious organization and truth is far more expansive than mankind can mine. It is arrogant to believe our “church” has a monopoly on truth. Sadly, factions, wars and genocide are often defended by those claiming to have the “truth”. Even Jesus Christ was killed because He did not align with the religion of His time.
It’s time to take God out of the religious boxes and allow His truth and His power to manifest freely without judgment, without strict tenants and without preconceived ideas of how God will move in the world. Let us all come together at the point of agreement, which has its pinnacle at the belief in a loving, Divine being.
We can disagree with another’s viewpoint while extending honor to their right to believe differently. If we focus on our differences, we will create more enmity. If we focus on our similarities, we will create more unity. As Jesus Christ Prayed “that they may all be one…” (John 17:21)
So many people are drifting, aimlessly through life with no purpose & no passion, moved only by the fickle currents of life. To which, I hear some people exclaim, “get a life!”…no!…I say get a purpose!
There are many methods to ascertain our life purpose, however I suggest a very simple technique that will only take 20 – 60 minutes. Before I share the method, I would like to preface with a story about Bruce Lee;
A master in martial arts asked Bruce Lee if he would teach him everything he knew about martial arts. In response to the question, Bruce held up two cups filled with liquid and taught, “The cup in my left hand represents all of your knowledge of martial arts, the cup in my right hand represents all of my knowledge of martial arts. If you want to fill your cup with my knowledge, you first empty your cup”.
If you want to discover your true purpose in life, you must be open to emptying yourself of any false ideas.
Here is the process:
1. Take out a blank sheet of paper (or open an empty word processing screen).
2. Write at the top, “My purpose in life”
3. Write whatever moves into your heart. It doesn’t have to be pretty or grammatically correct.
4. Look at what you wrote and allow it to dwell in your heart for a moment. Notice how it feels. Does it cause your heart to swell? Does it make you cry? Does it ignite a feeling of passion?
5. If you don’t have any of those feelings, repeat step 3 until you do.
It may take 100, 200, even 500 repetitions to empty yourself of all the false purposes before you reach your true calling. Here is what arrived for me after about 30 minutes;
“My purposeis to be an “apprentice” (disciple) of the Master Builder and to love, serve & inspire those I have the privilege to impact in some way. In so doing, I seek to deliver healing, wholeness, hope & Kingdom possibility to the world”
I hope you will practice this exercise and find your true purpose in life.
Of all the attributes Jesus Christ exemplified, one stands out as the most critical …the importance of a personal relationship with abba Father (Pappa). Jesus claimed “I and my Father are one” and He modeled his close relationship with Father God by going away often to be with him in prayer. Oh, the love Jesus had for His Father, enough to submit completely to His will, even unto death.
Our primary focus as sons and daughters of God is to be in an intimate relationship with Him. So often, we find ourselves “doing church” at the expense of developing a relationship with a personal, loving Father. This needs to change.
How do we develop an abiding relationship with our Father? Like any relationship, it takes focused commitment and a willingness to do everything possible to nurture the development of a growing relationship. Here are 5 keys to developing a close relationship with our Father, God (it spells TRUST)
Time – For a relationship to develop, we must “hang out” with God and spend time together. Time in Prayer and time in His word are good places to start.
Respect – When we respect someone, we are sensitive to thier feelings and needs. We honor them and avoid doing those things that could bring dishonor or shame to the relationship.
Understanding – We want to know and understand those we love. We want to know thier likes & dislikes, what they aspire to and what they avoid. The more we can understand God, the fuller our relationship will be.
Sacrifice – A strong relationship requires some level of sacrifice. We must at times set aside our needs and wants in order to support the relationship. When we sacrifice for God, we not only strengthen our relationship with Him, we strengthen ourselves in the process.
Treasure – We will hold onto what we treasure and we will let go of what we don’t. If we treasure our relationship with Father, it will be a high priority in our life and we will invest the time and energy to develop and nurture the relationship.
You’ve probably picked up that TRUST is a formula to build any strong relationship, whether it is with God or with a loved one. The more TRUST you have, the better the relationship.
This is the first post to Master Builder Ministries. I set up this ministry site within a blog format in order to foster connection & community among business professionals and others who are in need of some “remodeling”. As a professional coach I wanted to add a ministerial component to my practice and was inspired to call the ministry “Master Builder Ministries”. Building metaphors work well in coaching and it resonates with my passion to build. I am also a committed “apprentice” to THE Master Builder, from whom I learn every day.
To lay a key foundational piece of wisdom, I would like to remind everyone that you are unique and have the ability to impact the world! In fact, you have already changed the world! The day you entered life, the world shifted and things will never be the same, now that you are here. Now, embrace who you are, a child of God with unlimited potential and go out and “flavor” your environment with your uniqueness. Stop trying to be someone else. Be YOU!
Looking ahead, now until you move beyond this world, how do you want to experience your life now until then? What do you want to create? Who do you want to impact? What’s getting in the way? What do you need to let go of…what do you need to embrace? What lies are you believing? What is the truth? Where can you find truth? A lot of questions, I know.
My experience has been to seek the truth in God’s word and to seek Him in devotion & meditation. Wisdom, comfort, inner-strength and the miraculous have been the fruits of my intimate walk with our Father. He has been there through the storms (and there have been many), to shore me up and to offer hope. It is my belief, He wants a personal relationship with you too and wants to open the door to the Kingdom to usher you into His presence.
THE Master Builder has a vision for the world, for your business and for you. He will help you design, build and maintain a profitable business and magnificent life! Seek Him and be an apprentice to the principles of the Master Builder. Together, you can build a masterpiece!
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