January 2008

JANUARY 2008

TOPIC:

VISION AND POWER FOR REALIZING, ACTUALIZING, AND OPTIMIZING OUR GOD-GIVEN PRESENT AND FUTURE.

 

SCRIPTURES:  LUKE 12:13-21

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  THANK GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST FOR ALLOWING US TO SEE ANOTHER YEAR.  MANY WERE CALLED OUT OF THIS WORLD JUST IN THE PAST WEEK.  JUST A DAY OR TWO AGO, VERY CLOSE TO MY HOUSE, ONE YOUNG WOMAN, A TEENAGER, I BELIEVE, SEEMINGLY OBEYING THE TRAFFIC LAWS, WAITING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT TO CHANGE, WAS REAR ENDED BY A SPEEDING, DRUNKEN DRIVER.  THE DRUNKEN DRIVER WHO WAS IN THE WRONG SURVIVED THE COLLISION; UNFORTUNATELY, THE YOUNG WOMAN DIED NOT TOO LONG AFTER THE COLLISION.  I DON’T THINK SHE EVER SAW THE DRUNKEN DRIVER.  SHE PROBABLY HAD NO IDEA, NO VISION, OF HER IMPENDING DEATH.  NEITHER DID SHE HAVE ANY POWER WHATSOEVER TO PREVENT WHAT HAPPENED CONSIDERING WHERE SHE WAS AT THE TIME SHE WAS THERE.

 

ALTHOUGH THE ABOVE-MENTIONED INCIDENT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME, I SPENT SOME TIME THINKING ABOUT IT, IT DID BRING INTO FOCUS WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT—VISION AND POWER FOR REALIZING, ACTUALIZING, AND OPTIMIZING OUR GOD-GIVEN FUTURE.  EACH ONE OF US HAS A FUTURE.  WE HAVE A FUTURE ON EARTH, AND WE HAVE A FUTURE AFTER OUR EARTHLY LIVES HAVE COME TO A CONCLUSION.  GOD GIVES US OUR FUTURE.  I THINK THAT WE ALL WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT OUR FUTURE IS FOR 2008 AND BEYOND.  IN ORDER TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT OUR FUTURE AND TO DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO MAKE OUR FUTURE THE BEST POSSIBLE, WE NEED TWO THINGS:  VISION AND POWER. 

VISION IS THE ABILITY TO SEE THE FUTURE, BUT ALSO, CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, IS THE ABILITY TO SEE OR UNDERSTAND THE PAST AND THE PRESENT.  ABILITY TO SEE OR UNDERSTAND THE PAST IS NECESSARY TO PROPERLY INTERPRET AND UNDERSTAND THE PRESENT AND TO PLAN PROPERLY FOR THE FUTURE.  VISION CAN COME FROM NATURAL ABILITY, BUT THE BEST VISION COMES FROM GOD.  IF WE DON’T HAVE THE VISION THAT COME FROM GOD, WE PERISH (AS INDICATED BY PROVERBS 29:18). 

POWER IS THE ABILITY TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES THAT MIGHT PREVENT A GOOD PRESENT THAT GOD WANTS US TO HAVE AND A FUTURE THAT GOD WANTS US TO HAVE.  WE MAY HAVE NATURAL POWER, EVEN ENOUGH TO GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD.  BUT WITHOUT THE POWER THAT COMES FROM GOD, WE MAY LOSE OUR SOULS.  

 

LET ME SAY THIS BEFORE I CONTINUE.  NATURAL VISION COUPLED WITH NATURAL POWER MAY GAIN US MUCH NATURALLY FOR THE PRESENT AND FOR SOME UNCERTAIN FUTURE ON EARTH.  BUT SUCH A COMBINATION IS USUALLY ALMOST ALWAYS SELF-CENTERED WITH THE PERSONAL WILL DOMINATING.  SPIRITUAL VISION COUPLED WITH SPIRITUAL POWER WILL GAIN US WHAT GOD HAS FOR US NATURALLY AND SPIRITUALLY ON EARTH AND WHAT GOD HAS FOR US IN THE NEXT LIFE.

 

IN THE STORY WE READ, THIS MAN HAD NATURAL VISION AND NATURAL POWER.  HE SAW UNDERSTOOD ABOUT REAPING AND SOWING NATURALLY.  HE SAW UNDERSTOOD THE HISTORY OF IT.  HIS UNDERSTANDING OF IT ENABLED HIM TO OPTIMIZE HIS NATURAL PRESENT.  HE LIVED THE “GOOD LIFE.”  HE ALSO HAD NATURAL POWER.  HE USED HIS NATURAL VISION AND UNDERSTANDING COUPLED WITH HIS NATURAL POWER IN SEEING HIS NATURAL FUTURE AND PLANNING TO PROVIDE FOR HIS NATURAL FUTURE ON EARTH.  HE MADE THE MISTAKE, HOWEVER, OF RELYING ON THE ACTUARY TABLES, CONSIDERING AVERAGE LIFE SPANS ON EARTH, VISUALIZING AND THINKING THAT HE HAD A LOT MORE TIME TO LIVE ON EARTH, CONSIDERING HIS GOOD HEALTH, GENETIC MAKE-UP, FAMILY HISTORY, MEDICAL CARE AND INSURANCE, ETC.  BUT HE MADE WHAT HAPPENED TO BE A FATAL ERROR.  HE LEFT GOD OUT OF HIS PLANS, AND GOD CALLED HIM ON IT BY SAYING TO HIM, “THOU FOOL, THIS NIGHT THY SOUL SHALL BE REQUIRED OF THEE: THEN WHOSE SHALL THOSE THINGS BE, WHICH THOU HAST PROVIDED?  SO IS HE THAT LAYETH UP TREASURE FOR HIMSELF, AND IS NOT RICH TOWARD GOD.”

 

I WANT US TO CONCENTRATE ON RECEIVING AND UTILIZING VISION AND POWER THAT GOD HAS FOR US.  THEN WE CAN REALIZE, ACTUALIZE, AND OPTIMIZE OUR GOD-GIVEN PRESENT AND FUTURE. 

IF WE SEEK AND RECEIVE THE VISION THAT GOD WILL GIVE US, THE FOLLOWING WILL HAPPEN:

1. WE WILL SEE THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE THE WAY GOD SEES THEM.  GOD WILL GIVE US PROPHECY.  GOD WILL GIVE US UNDERSTANDING.  GOD WILL GIVE US DISCERNMENT.  GOD WILL GIVE US WISDOM.  GOD WILL GIVE US KNOWLEDGE.  GOD WILL LEAD US VIA HIS HOLY SPIRIT INTO ALL TRUTH.  JUST CONSIDER THE GIFTS OF GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT. 
2. WE WILL BE MOTIVATED TO ACT.  HE WILL BE IN US, AS JEREMIAH SAID, LIKE “FIRE SHUT UP IN OUR BONES.”
3. WE WILL BE INSPIRED TO ACT BY FAITH ON REALITIES NOT SEEN NATURALLY AS ABRAHAM, JOSEPH, DAVID, PETER, PAUL, AND OTHER GREAT PEOPLE OF GOD DID.
4. WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE OURSELVES IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT, MORE IN THE WAY GOD SEES US.  WE WILL SEE OUR ABILITIES, OUR GIFTS, AND OUR LIMITATIONS.  WE THEN WILL BE MORE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH WE NEED GOD IN OUR LIVES TO HELP US REALIZE, ACTUALIZE, AND OPTIMIZE OUR GOD-GIVEN PRESENT AND FUTURE.

THEN, AFTER WE HAVE GOD-GIVEN VISION, WE NEED POWER TO ACT ON THAT VISION.  WHEN WE RECEIVE POWER FROM GOD:

1. WE WILL BE MORE ABLE TO OVERCOME THE ODDS AGAINST US.
2. WE WILL BE SUSTAINED IN DIFFICULT TIME AS SATAN TRIES TO PREVENT US FROM HAVING WHAT GOD HAS FOR US IN THE PRESENT AND IN THE FUTURE.
3. WE WILL BE ABLE TO HELP OTHERS IN MORE MEANINGFUL WAYS AS PETER AND JOHN WHEN GOING TO PRAYER WERE ABLE TO HELP THE CRIPPLED BEGGAR IN TELLING HIM, “MONEY WE DO NOT HAVE, BUT SUCH AS WE HAVE, WE GIVE TO YOU:  IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH, RISE US AND WALK.”
4.  WE WILL HAVE THE BLESSED ASSURANCE THAT WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD WHO CANNOT BE PLUCKED FROM JESUS’ HAND; THAT WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE NOW BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN JESUS AND WE LOVE OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS; THAT JESUS IS WITH US NOW IN THE HOLY GHOST AS WE LIVE OUT OUR GOD-GIVEN PRESENT AND FUTURE ON EARTH, MANIFESTING HIMSELF TO US, BUT NOT UNTO THE WORLD; AND THAT WE WILL ONE DAY SEE JESUS AS HE IS, FOR WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM.