DON’T STOP DREAMING

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”  (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV)

Our date of death is not the date etched on our tombstone.  The day we stop dreaming is the day we start dying.  When imagination is sacrificed on the altar of logic, God is robbed of the glory that rightfully belongs to Him.  In fact, the death of a dream is often a subtle form of idolatry.  We lose faith in the God who gave us the big dream and settle for a small dream that we can accomplish without His help.  We go after dreams that don't require divine intervention.  We go after dreams that don't require prayer.  And the God who is able to do immeasurably more than all our right brain can imagine is supplanted by a god -- lowercase g -- who fits within the logical constraints of our left brain.

Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish.  Why?  Because there is no way we can take credit for it.  And nothing is better for our spiritual development than a big dream because it keeps us on our knees in raw dependence on God.  Drawing prayer circles around our dreams isn't just a mechanism whereby we accomplish great things for God; it's a mechanism whereby God accomplishes great things in us.

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”

#5405

VISION BEYOND YOUR RESOURCES

"[Pastor,] we want to give [the church] a gift, and there are no strings attached.  But before I tell you how much we're going to give, I want you to know why we're giving it.  We're giving this gift because you have vision beyond your resources."

I'll never forget that phrase: "vision beyond your resources."

The rationale behind the gift was just as meaningful as the gift itself.  And that rationale has inspired us to keep dreaming irrational dreams.  Those four words, vision beyond your resources, have become a mantra for the ministry of National Community Church.  We refuse to let our budget determine our vision.  That left-brained approach is a wrong-brained approach because it's based on our limited resources rather than on God's unlimited provision.  Faith is allowing your God-given vision to determine your budget.  That certainly does not mean you practice poor financial stewardship, spend beyond your means, and accumulate a huge debt load.  It does mean that you take a step of faith when God gives you a vision because you trust that the One who gave you the vision is going to make provision.  And for the record, if the vision is from God, it will most definitely be beyond your means.

Having vision beyond your resources is synonymous with dreaming big.  And it may feel like you're setting yourself up for failure, but you're actually setting God up for a miracle.  How God performs the miracle is His job.  Your job is drawing a circle around the God-given dream.

"We want to give the church $3 million dollars."

I was speechless. And I am a preacher.

-- Mark Batterson in “The Circle Maker”


#4509

A POINT OF DECISION

Faith is a verb. It's active and not passive. It's something you do. Decision making is a faith-building activity. You use your muscles of faith. Faithful decision making requires… letting go of security. You cannot move in faith and hold onto the past at the same time. You have to move forward…

A great illustration of God's plan is a trapeze artist. They swing out holding onto a trapeze bar, and then they let go in order to grab hold of another trapeze bar that swings them to the other side. But, at one point, they're not holding on to any bar. They're suspended in air for a split second.

Have you ever been there in a career, where you're leaving one job for another and nothing's in between? You're 180 feet above the ground with no net below and holding onto nothing.

But if you don't let go and grab onto the vision God wants you to have, you swing back. Only you don't swing all the way back; instead, you swing back lower and lower until you're finally stopped, hanging there in the air. And there's only one way out: down!

That's why God brings you to a point of decision, so your faith will build as you swing toward the dream God has given you.

-- Rick Warren, excerpted from the Purpose Driven Connection Daily Devotional


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