Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and
your young men shall see visions. Joel 2:28 (NRSVA)
For all who are
led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Romans 8:14 (NRSVA)
Visions and dreams are like windows
through which we wonder about tomorrow.
The word “vision” is (in Hebrew) literally, a revelation[1]. It means we contemplate tomorrow. Plant life and animals can’t do that. They react to surrounding influences; they
respond to instincts within to build a den or protect a cub.
Only humans set goals and dream of
tomorrow’s possibilities.
Do you have goals, dreams and visions? Are you involving yourself in something
greater than yourself?
To be led by the Spirit of God is to bend your will to His
and allow His revealed word (as we have in the Scripture) to inform your human
mind and spirit – to shape you into the image of Christ, obedient, yielded,
usable.
How do you do
that?
I’ve known many people who prayed for the will of God to be
revealed. Some have sat, unfulfilled for
years, awaiting the sky to part and a new Biblical text to unfold mystically
before their eyes. They tell every
preacher that comes down the pike, “Oh, if I only knew what God’s will was I’d
do it.” With every revival, and every
call for commitment they hold off putting themselves on the line of obedience
because somehow the great vision hasn’t yet happened. They live life wallowing in second-guessing
and miserable guilt, sensing they have not followed God. They’re right at least on one level…nothing
surrendered, nothing gained!
Others I’ve known have made a conscious decision to accept
and follow Christ according to the revelation they have; they trust Him to
reveal Himself. They got busy in a local
church, studied their Bibles, shared their faith and gave of themselves to
build the kingdom of God…
wherever they are however they could with whatever God gave them.
God has given us plenty of
vision. He tells us to cooperate in
building His church, the visible symbol of the Kingdom of God.
…upon
this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it. Matthew 16.18b
He tells us to love and care for one
another – as we would care for Him in person.
Inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have
done it unto me. Matthew 25:
40
He tells us to set our goals on
things eternal, great visions, magnificent dreams.
…lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven…Matthew 6:20
The Spirit-led life is a life of
dreams and vision.
For You Today
You know enough about God
right now to surrender this day to Him, and to be available to do Christ’s will
where you are, with whatever strength he gives you today, and with whatever he
has placed in your hand at this moment.
You get started; He will make
clear the dreams and shape the vision as you step out in faith.
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