Driving long distances has one benefit for an easily distracted person like me: it allows time for focused thought! Yesterday I spent about 5 hours in my car alone. That’s a lot of thinking! I prayerfully thought about the direction and health of the church I pastor. What is God’s purpose for us? Which ministries are aligned to that purpose? Which exist simply because ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it?’ Where do we need to strengthen? Are there programs we should cut? The right answers to those questions depends on something called, vision; which is the ability to see a reality that is yet in the making. Some people are visionary and others are just dreamers! That is why I sincerely prayed: “Lord, protect me from simply dreaming up schemes and fill me with Your insight for this church.”
You need God’s vision for your life. Without one, you will drift with the currents of fads and fashion. Vision keeps a nation, a church, and yes; a life, on course. When I get discouraged one of the reasons I persevere is because of the vision God gave me about serving Him. A long time ago, when I just a teenage boy, He called me to serve Him in His church. I wasn’t too excited about this line of work! I knew that vocational ministry was a lifestyle more than a job, that the pay not all that great, and the burden of dealing with spiritual issues sometimes heavy. But, I also ‘saw’ the chance to help people discover God’s plans. God helped me to ‘see’ the intangible rewards, things like the joy that I would share when a life in ruins was restored by God’s love and grace expressed through me. That vision has kept me faithful to the Call.
God spoke to Habbakuk about vision and said,
“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." (Habakkuk 2:2-3, NKJV) What He told the prophet remains important for us.
Vision needs to be refined and defined!
Vision must be preserved and shared.
Vision may not see fulfillment for a long time, but if it is from God,
you can count on it happening!
The Proverb is familiar and oh so true. "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." (Proverbs 29:18, KJV) It is even more plain as translated in The Message: "If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed." Some of God’s purposes for us are revealed in His Word; things like living with integrity in our work, fidelity to our marriage, making His kingdom authority our number one priority in life. And, then there is His promise to give us a vision and gifts of the Spirit to bring it to fulfillment.
So, what’s your purpose, God’s vision for your life?
There is no question that is more important. Are you asking it?
__________________
Be Thou my Vision,
O Lord of my heart;
Nought be all else to me,
Save that Thou art
Thou my best thought,
By day or by night,
Waking or sleeping,
Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom,
And Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee
And Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father,
I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling,
And I with Thee one.
Riches I heed not,
Nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance,
Now and always:
Thou and Thou only,
First in my heart,
High King of heaven,
My Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven,
My victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys,
O bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart,
Whatever befall,
Still be my Vision,
O Ruler of all.
Be Thou My Vision
Hull, Eleanor / Byrne, Mary E.
© Public Domain
No comments:
Post a Comment