Fulfilling God’s Purpose & Your Dream

There is still One whose faith in you has never wavered. And how wonderful it is that that one should be Jesus Christ! It was a wonderful dream God dreamed, Christ says, when He created you; it was a stately being that was in His mind when you were fashioned; and I can make you all He meant that you should be. A.J. Gossip

God created each of us to fulfil a purpose on earth.  How many times have you had a dream and it didn’t happen?  Maybe it didn’t happen because you were depending on yourself to fulfil the dream instead of God. 

My parents started their business 10 years ago.  I believe their business fulfils a purpose.  We see a lot of hurting people in this business and yet we have watched the business grow slowly over the years.  I spend most of my spare time helping them with it so I see it all. 

One of the things I think that happens when we have a dream is we want immediate results.  We want instantaneous success.  Have you noticed that God doesn’t work that way?  It took me 40 some odd years to realize that I wasn’t such a great Christian and that I needed to work on me.  It is no different in every other area of your life.  If you have a dream of doing something and it fulfills God’s purpose; it is going to take time.  Have you also noticed that patience isn’t one of those virtues that many of us have in abundance? 

There are several things that happen when you have a dream.  You are going to face discouragement from outside sources.  Sometimes the people who are closest to you will tell you it can’t be done.  How many times have you listened to someone tell you it can’t be done and you gave up?  God doesn’t want quitters.  If we gave up every time we faced obstacles we wouldn’t get anything done and we would never show others who God is. 

Sometimes God will give you a dream and other people are afraid so they project that fear onto your dream.  You will be misjudged and misunderstood.  If your dream is in fact God given, then you will need to make a decision.  Will I listen to the naysayers in my life who say it can’t be done; or will I listen to God who says, “Give me time and we will get it done together.”

I read a devotional by Rick Warren who wrote “Purpose Driven Life”.  He talks about receiving a letter from the editor (which he framed) that said, “This book will never work.  Nobody’s going to read 40 chapters.”  The last estimate of the number of copies sold of The Purpose Driven Life was five years ago at 30 million copies.  The book was named one of the top 100 Christian books that changed the 20^th century.  Now that’s a dream with God’s presence all over it.

Choose to dream and then choose the One who can help make that dream a reality.    

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I have watched my parents build a business that nurtures others.  I praise You for giving us the patience to persevere and for bringing people to us who need a Savior.  There have been setbacks and obstacles to overcome, but through it all You have always been there.  I praise You for Your love and guidance.  We can’t do it without You.  

      

Scripture: Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.  Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.  1 Samuel 17:45-49