To Dream The Impossible Dream

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.“ Acts 2:17

"I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Acts 2:19-21

What about today and our vision? No matter where you are, what that next step is in your life, follow the dream God has for you. But what is the difference between being a dreamer and being a visionary? The word action comes to mind. To be a visionary, you must take the dream beyond a thought and take action. To have vision think of the word revelation. Let's consider two translations of Proverbs 29:18a;

Where there is no vision, the people perish (KJV)

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint. (NIV)

When we look around the world today, we are see things happening and wonder how people can think so much of it is okay. Mankind is unique in the ability to change its surrounding influences. If we choose to ignore God's influence, it becomes easier to engage in activity that goes against His desire for us. Things that were once considered wrong now become a part of our everyday culture. When there is no vision of God's correctness, no revelation from God's word, there is no restraint.

When pursuing your vision, there are many questions you must first ask yourself. Is your vision truly yours or the vision someone else has for you? Are you willing to sacrafice to fulfill the vison God has for you? Does working toward your vision bring about satisfaction? How significant is your vision? Is it self-centered or God-centered? If your vision is God-centered, then you must let go of your will and allow His will to be more important. Allow God to speak to you through His spirit, His word and His people.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4

When we become God-centered and not self-centered that is when the impossible dream becomes possible. He will give us the desires of our hearts. This is true of all of us regardless of age. We must all strive to not be dreamers, but visionaries. When we have a vision that is God's direction, there is nothing we cannot do. 

We may ask if we can make a difference, especially when we feel like it is just a few against the world. Yes! With God on our side, we are always a majority. When God's vision is our vision, He can accomplish so much. Ask Him to help you with your dream. Ask Him to help us with our dreams. Envision the future He has for you. He will give you power you cannot even imagine. Dream the impossible dream and trust God; and all things will be possible. 

Always Remember

God did not put us on this earth just for us. He put us here for others. Each person we come into contact with is a person of worth in the eyes of God. 

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

Each year in May, we take time to memorialize the soldiers who fought on the many battlefields for our country. We should always remember the folks who gave all for the freedom which we sometimes take for granted.

We each have people in our lives who have influenced us and helped us throughout our lives become the people we are. These people should be remembered. In everything in our lives, our forefathers paved the way for us to be what we are. We even have spiritual forefathers. These people should always be treasured and remembered. We are all in this together and we need each other. We are important to each other. And we are important to God, the Creator of all there is. We must continue on our journey and remember what we've learned and continue to learn.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

This is an important lesson - to be thankful and remember from those that you have learned and who have influenced you in your spiritual life.

Finally, the most important person we need to remember is Jesus who gave all and above all for all of us. We should focus on Him each and every day and have Him foremost in our lives. Jesus paid all - the perfect sacrifice for each of us. He paid a penalty we can never do enough to repay and we need to remember that and thank Him every day for what He has done for us. But as great and as awesome as He is, His attitude did not reflect that. His attitude was that of a servant.

"Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

Christ came to serve and give His life for each of us. When we think about that, has there ever been a time in your life that you have asked Him into your life? That is His greatest desire to be an active, vital part of your life. He wants to give you the gift of salvation for eternity. He came and gave His life as a ransom for your life. When we celebrate communion, it is a special time of remembrance.

"And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24

There are other ways we can remember Him; with our time, our talents, and our treasure - which all come from Him. We need to remember Him with our thoughts and our tasks as we go about our daily lives. Remember always His love for us that he displayed as he was dying on the cross. Remember His comforting call for all of us to come to Him. Remember His charge for us to go into all the world and tell others of His love for us. We need to remember His commandments that He has for us and to keep these commandments.

But it is not enough to remember Him. We need to know Him in a personal way. That is His greatest desire. It is why He came and gave all on the cross. He wants an all consuming relationship with each of us, where He is part of our lives and our thoughts; and we love Him enough to want Him present in our lives every minute. He is knocking on the door, but you have to open that door and invite Him in. 

You Are The Light of The World

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 

If you know Christ and you have a personal relationship with Him - if you have the Holy Spirit living within you, He is there to help you work through all your fears. God will give you the ability to do what is required; the desire to love when others hate; the self control when all around you are throwing all restraint to the wind. God's will is that you have confidence. When you grow into adulthood, you go through big changes. You must be willing to face your fears and He will carry you through it. To live a Christian life in a secular world, it takes a lot of courage to say "yes" to Jesus. Especially when those around you are saying "yes" to things that are the opposite of what God desires for you. Not only do you have to be able to say yes to God, but also to say "no" to things. Saying no takes a lot of courage. But you are not alone if you have the Spirit with you. 

When you start to make decisions for your own life it is important to make right decisions. A lot of young people take advantage of their new-found freedom and veer off in the wrong direction. They have a tendency to let the world in and crowd Jesus out. Stay true to Him. He has a plan for your life. God desires from each of us that we are that shining light for Him.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 

These words from Christ bring to mind what it means to influence. One definition is the act or power to produce effect. You can have an influence on others or you can be influenced by others. You have a choice and you have to make it, as to which part of "Influence" you will be.

Your relationship with Jesus is personal, but in no way is it private. You are a light on a stand to show forth the light of Jesus Christ. You are called and challenged to be the light of the world. As we shine forth His light to the world, we are not the light: we reflect His light. That is a part of His Plan, be open to His leading, and He will!

"Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:19-21

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12

We are called to receive this light. It is not enough to be exposed to this light, we have to respond to it. We have to make a choice. God gives us the right that if we believe and receive Him, we become a child of God. It is just that simple. When we receive that light, we are to walk in it. 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 

Isn't it wonderful to know we have One who came for us to purify us from all sin? He cleanses us in a way we cannot cleanse ourselves. You are a city on a hill, a light on a stand. We are to be His light in the world, reflecting His light. If you are in the darkness, you need to come to the light. And if you are in the light - if you have that relationship with Christ, then you need to start making a difference in the darkness that is around every one of us. We are also to be the salt of the earth. 

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13 

We are here to make an influence for Him the rest of our days. We can only benefit the world in which we live when we live as salt and when we live as light. If the people all around us are living immorally, dishonestly and complain all the time and we are doing the same, what is the difference? We cannot benefit the world around us if we are like the world around us. We are challenged by Jesus Christ Himself to show a better way. Our mission is to be the light of the world. We have a choice to let our light shine, or hide it under a bowl. We can find many excuses to hide our light. Sometimes we allow fear to hide our light. Sometimes we hide our light because of indifference. Other times we claim we are too busy. If you want to shine for the Lord in the darkness, you must keep yourself in the light. Stay close to Him. In a really dark place, a little light can make a big difference. Live you life letting your light shine for Him. 

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 

You are not called to be glorious chandeliers, you are called to be the light. God will decide in His infinite wisdom if you will be a big flood light, a nightlight or somewhere in between. God has called you to be a city on hill, the light of the world, the salt of the earth. He has given you this opportunity. Just open up your heart and let the real Son shine in and commit to not hide that light under a bushel, but shine, shine, shine.