You know, I was asked an interesting question the other day.
As we're going through the story of Joseph, we're talking about God's amazing dreams for us and how He is going to accomplish His dream in us. Even though we face difficulty and isolation at times as we move forward in His dream for us, we will look back on those experiences and marvel at how God worked through those difficult times. My encouragement on Sunday was to keep moving forward in the dream that God gave you.
...And here's the question I was asked: "What if I don't know the dream that God has for me?" The question sort of caught me off-guard. Everyone has a pretty solid idea of the destiny God has for them, don't they? Nope.
To be honest, I didn't know how to respond. Until I looked closer at Joseph's life. When I reread the story of Joseph in preparation for this week's sermon, I had that question in my mind and a simple fact dawned on me: Joseph didn't know his destiny. He had a dream, the one thing he knew was that his brothers and his parents would one day fall under his authority. The only image he had in his mind was that of his brothers bowing to him (Gen 37:1-12). The substance of the dream that God had for Joseph was, ironically, not the fact that Joseph's brothers would bow to him, but rather that Joseph would save millions of people from starvation (Gen 41:25-36)! We can move forward in God's dream/vision/destiny for our lives even without knowing how to articulate that dream.
This week, as we look closely at Genesis 39 and 40, we basically have two narrative stories that are tied together by a basic thread: Joseph gets jacked in both stories! We’ve all been jacked by people on the way through life. In the first story, Joseph is shown as a man of impeccable character and deserving of better treatment and, while keeping his head about him and remaining true to himself, he gets thrown in prison! In the second story, Joseph is given a way out of his situation, so he asks for favor from the guy and the other guy completely drops the ball on Joseph. Joseph has nothing to regret in either situation: he has done everything right. And yet everything goes wrong.
It sounds so depressing, but it’s absolutely not. What I read in these stories is this simple truth: God is not waiting for us to get everything right (and he doesn’t need other people either) in order for him to do mighty things through us. He's not even waiting for us to know His calling on our lives. That is unbelievably good news! Because it is entirely based on His sovereignty and His grace; not on our performance nor our karma.
I, for one, am thankful that God isn't waiting for me to be able to clearly articulate my life purpose in a nice, pithy statement. I am thankful that God isn't waiting for me to get my life in order or for me (or others) to live up to promises that have been made. I am thankful that He can do absolutely incredible things even in spite of me.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Live Like You Were Dyin'
As I'm preparing for Sunday's sermon, we're talking about potential and what God might do in us and through us as we allow Him to. But as a backdrop, this week began with a funeral for someone close to me. Funerals always lead me to the thoughts about what type of legacy I would leave. The conversations of living the dream and leaving a legacy are very similar to each other because, as I fulfill God's purpose for my life, I will leave that legacy.
In this particular case, the funeral was for someone who had been given a year to live and so the question of what would I do differently if I was given a year to live was a very real issue. As we stood by the graveside, the Tim McGraw song "Live Like You Were Dyin'" was referenced with the question, "If you knew you had one year to live, what would you do differently?"The bottom-line message for the funeral was this: she was given a year to live and she changed nothing about herself in that year. She remained the woman she always had been. She didn't try to be remembered for anything over that year other than to be remembered for the faithful life centered around the cross of Christ.
As we talk about dreams and fulfilling our potential, it is easy to become pie-in-the-sky and misty-eyed as we look to a utopian future, filled with every good thing we've ever imagined. But the reality is that, even as we follow our God-given, Spirit-led, Christ-centered dream, we won't enter into that utopia until we enter glory with our Lord. Life will remain painful and we will still experience difficulty and loss. Our potential isn't met through striving for anything: God will accomplish what God will accomplish as we simply remain faithful to him and do the everyday stuff he gives us and trust him even through the pain and difficulty.
God has given us dreams and visions and passion and abilities for him to accomplish things that seem impossible. But, a the end of the day, he is the one who will accomplish them. All he asks of us is that we faithfully live our lives. That, if we are given a year to live, that we can hold our heads high, knowing that we are already doing the stuff so we don't need to change anything about ourselves. Basically, so that we can live like we were dyin'.
In this particular case, the funeral was for someone who had been given a year to live and so the question of what would I do differently if I was given a year to live was a very real issue. As we stood by the graveside, the Tim McGraw song "Live Like You Were Dyin'" was referenced with the question, "If you knew you had one year to live, what would you do differently?"The bottom-line message for the funeral was this: she was given a year to live and she changed nothing about herself in that year. She remained the woman she always had been. She didn't try to be remembered for anything over that year other than to be remembered for the faithful life centered around the cross of Christ.
As we talk about dreams and fulfilling our potential, it is easy to become pie-in-the-sky and misty-eyed as we look to a utopian future, filled with every good thing we've ever imagined. But the reality is that, even as we follow our God-given, Spirit-led, Christ-centered dream, we won't enter into that utopia until we enter glory with our Lord. Life will remain painful and we will still experience difficulty and loss. Our potential isn't met through striving for anything: God will accomplish what God will accomplish as we simply remain faithful to him and do the everyday stuff he gives us and trust him even through the pain and difficulty.
God has given us dreams and visions and passion and abilities for him to accomplish things that seem impossible. But, a the end of the day, he is the one who will accomplish them. All he asks of us is that we faithfully live our lives. That, if we are given a year to live, that we can hold our heads high, knowing that we are already doing the stuff so we don't need to change anything about ourselves. Basically, so that we can live like we were dyin'.
Tim McGraw, "Live Like You Were Dyin'"
Friday, May 9, 2008
Living the Dream
Sunday begins our "Living the Dream" series; a four-week study in the life of Joseph in Genesis. This story of Joseph serves to me as a picture of our faith. Joseph is a man who was extremely blessed by his father. He had favor from his father beyond what he deserved. And yet, he knew that he was made for more than a pretty coat and his destiny was different than what he was experiencing.
Joseph had a dream. A God-given dream. A dream, however, that he could not fulfill. I feel like maybe this should become the definition of a God-given dream (or at least included in the definition): something you can't do. If you can do it you don't need God. If God can only do it, don't even try to fulfill it because you can't! That's the weird paradox about God-ordained vision: God gives us a picture of His destiny for us but doesn't give us the ability to make it so.
We can look at Joseph in retrospect and say that he could have avoided all the pain he endured if he had only kept his mouth shut. Maybe. But not necessarily. The longer I follow Jesus the more I think that God wants us to experience times when we are tossed in the can or left alone and forgotten before he accomplishes His work in us. I think God is more concerned with strengthening our character than He is concerned with accomplishing stuff through us. At the end of the day, when I look at Joseph, I think God is happier with the fact that Joesph became a humble, faithful worshiper than with the fact that Joseph's dreams came true. That said, God still accomplished His work and fulfilled His promise to Joseph.
I can look back with retrospect on my own life (just like I can look with retrospect on Joseph's life) and say that there are things I wish I had done differently. I most surely live with regrets over poor choices I have made in the past because many of those choices have consequences that I still live with. But even in those times, I am able to look back and pull lessons that I would otherwise have never learned. I live with dreams that God has given me years ago and He has continued to bring more and more clarity as to what those dreams are. One day, like Joseph, I will fall on my face in tears before God; amazed that He has done what He has promised.
God gave Joseph a dream. God gave me a dream. God gave you a dream. You might not remember it, but it's there and he's going to make it happen. As I go through this story, I see us all at different stages: maybe God's dream is crystal clear in our minds; maybe we've made some choices and we're dealing with those consequences; or maybe things have happened to us and we're dealing with injustice. Things may have clouded that vision; but our loving, gracious and sovereign God is accomplishing His purpose in us.
We all have been granted favor from the Father. We all have received more than we deserve. And God has much, much more in store for us than we have seen or could even imagine.
Joseph had a dream. A God-given dream. A dream, however, that he could not fulfill. I feel like maybe this should become the definition of a God-given dream (or at least included in the definition): something you can't do. If you can do it you don't need God. If God can only do it, don't even try to fulfill it because you can't! That's the weird paradox about God-ordained vision: God gives us a picture of His destiny for us but doesn't give us the ability to make it so.
We can look at Joseph in retrospect and say that he could have avoided all the pain he endured if he had only kept his mouth shut. Maybe. But not necessarily. The longer I follow Jesus the more I think that God wants us to experience times when we are tossed in the can or left alone and forgotten before he accomplishes His work in us. I think God is more concerned with strengthening our character than He is concerned with accomplishing stuff through us. At the end of the day, when I look at Joseph, I think God is happier with the fact that Joesph became a humble, faithful worshiper than with the fact that Joseph's dreams came true. That said, God still accomplished His work and fulfilled His promise to Joseph.
I can look back with retrospect on my own life (just like I can look with retrospect on Joseph's life) and say that there are things I wish I had done differently. I most surely live with regrets over poor choices I have made in the past because many of those choices have consequences that I still live with. But even in those times, I am able to look back and pull lessons that I would otherwise have never learned. I live with dreams that God has given me years ago and He has continued to bring more and more clarity as to what those dreams are. One day, like Joseph, I will fall on my face in tears before God; amazed that He has done what He has promised.
God gave Joseph a dream. God gave me a dream. God gave you a dream. You might not remember it, but it's there and he's going to make it happen. As I go through this story, I see us all at different stages: maybe God's dream is crystal clear in our minds; maybe we've made some choices and we're dealing with those consequences; or maybe things have happened to us and we're dealing with injustice. Things may have clouded that vision; but our loving, gracious and sovereign God is accomplishing His purpose in us.
We all have been granted favor from the Father. We all have received more than we deserve. And God has much, much more in store for us than we have seen or could even imagine.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Life in a Faith Winery
I have been thinking a lot lately about the image of a winery. Living in one of the world's premiere wine regions, I have come to appreciate how the wine-making process is analogous to the faith-growing process.
First of all, we all begin with so much potential. Just like the farmer in spring looks at his vines to assess the potential harvest, we all begin our lives with so much potential. However, in the same way that there are so many variables in the growth of the grapes (not enough rain; too much rain; bugs; disease; hail; etc), there is much that happens in all of our lives that works against the realization of our God-given potential. Circumstances arise that may (or may not) be beyond our control, causing damage and pain and testing our resiliency.
And then the grapes are harvested and pressed so that all that is usable in them is completely extracted for the purpose of the vintner. And as they sit and rot, they slowly turn into their intended purpose. And the potential that was in them has finally been realized.
As we remain in the Vine (and He in us) we, too, will see the potential within us come to fruition. Not without pain. Not without damage. Not without being completely pressed on every side. Not without giving everything we have for His purpose. And not quickly. The process of making wine is painful and slow. The process of making us, of maturing our faith, is also painful and slow.
But we are in the hands of the Vintner, who will create a beautiful vintage from the sour grapes that we are!
First of all, we all begin with so much potential. Just like the farmer in spring looks at his vines to assess the potential harvest, we all begin our lives with so much potential. However, in the same way that there are so many variables in the growth of the grapes (not enough rain; too much rain; bugs; disease; hail; etc), there is much that happens in all of our lives that works against the realization of our God-given potential. Circumstances arise that may (or may not) be beyond our control, causing damage and pain and testing our resiliency.
And then the grapes are harvested and pressed so that all that is usable in them is completely extracted for the purpose of the vintner. And as they sit and rot, they slowly turn into their intended purpose. And the potential that was in them has finally been realized.
As we remain in the Vine (and He in us) we, too, will see the potential within us come to fruition. Not without pain. Not without damage. Not without being completely pressed on every side. Not without giving everything we have for His purpose. And not quickly. The process of making wine is painful and slow. The process of making us, of maturing our faith, is also painful and slow.
But we are in the hands of the Vintner, who will create a beautiful vintage from the sour grapes that we are!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)