No matter how big and how far you can dream of what God has in store for you, it will never be farther or greater than what God truly has planned. The problem is, our dreams tend to promote ourself while God's vision promotes His Kingdom. If you are not careful you will let your dreams choke out God's vision, then pride kicks in, and you are no longer seeking God's direction in the matter but rather what promotes your dream. Then it falls, fails, and crumbles apart because God is no longer a part of the plan; it is only you calling the shots.
What we have to realize is that if we follow God's plan for the situation and humble ourselves to where we are entirely out of the equation - exalting God's Kingdom and vision over our self-promotion - God will end up exalting us as well.
Luke 18:14 says "...for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Patience is the key when following God's plan for our lives. Joseph is a prime example. God gave him a dream, a vision for his future. Instead of being patient he immediately blurted it out to everyone, using it as an opportunity to promote himself to his brothers. As a result he was humbled, very humbled.
Usually with God's call on our life there is a process that must take place before that vision can fully come to fruition. We want things to happen right away. We have no patience for God to bring it all together in His timing, not ours. We get frustrated when we know it is something God wants us to be doing, yet the opportunities are not there to do it yet. But God has a plan, a path, and a process we must follow to get there on His timing.
We have to be careful not to jump at every opportunity that looks like God's vision because it fits our dreams. Even though it looks right, it may not be fully what God has planned. When we follow God's path for His vision, not ours, God will bless you exponentially along the way. Then when it finally does come to fruition it will be amazing.
One of my best friends had something happen to him just recently that fits perfectly into this Nugget. He is a Professional Rodeo Cowboy who has been rodeoing for quite some time now. He is also an ordained minister that has a call on his life to minister and knows he will be a pastor some day. He is in that transition stage where he could retire (and nobody would think twice about him doing it) or he could keep rodeoing (and nobody would think twice about him doing it).
His vision is ministry over rodeo, I know this from numerous conversations on the subject. I have no doubt in my mind that if God asked him to he would drop everything and do whatever God asked. I know he wants nothing more than to be able to minister for a living. So when an opportunity recently came up where he was offered a job to be the pastor of a church, everything would look like it was God's vision and plan for his life. But my friend was smart and prayed about it first, knowing that not everything that is available is truly God's plan and timing. God told him that he is still suppose to be rodeoing, so he turned the job offer down. That doesn't mean that this church isn't where God wants Him to be, but it is still not God's timing. Could he be pastoring that same exact church down the rode? Sure! But only God truly knows where He wants my friend to be.
So here is the cool part of the story. He turned down a job offer, which is hard to do as a rodeo cowboy who has been in it as many years as he has. The years he has made the NFR (National Finals Rodeo - the equivalent of the Super Bowl to Rodeo Athletes) in the past he has had to pay anywhere from $45,000-$55,000 in expenses to get there. Rodeo is very expensive, and if you don't make the NFR you are more than likely looking at a loss in expenses for the year. But God told him he was still suppose to be rodeoing, so he listened without question knowing God would supply.
So my friend, just by being who he is and showing God's love everywhere he goes, was approached by some men he had met through the process of rodeo. Long story short they approached him about a sponsorship because his character lined up with what they wanted to be represented by. This is unheard of in rodeo because normally you have to approach the businesses and practically beg them for sponsorships. Long story short, I won't go into all the details, but they picked him up as a sponsor that will more than cover all his expenses for the next couple or years as well as buying him a new truck! Now tell me that isn't God!
I am telling this story to prove my point. God has a vision, a will, a plan for each and every one of our lives. That plan involves promoting His Kingdom over ourselves. God has the perfect timing and place for that vision to come to fruition. If we stay the course He has set out for us, not deviating from His plan, we will find that He will bless us along that route and process of maturing to the point of being able to land where God has planned all along.
No comments:
Post a Comment