Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think—according to the power that works in you...—Ephesians 3:20
At times we can feel as if we could impress God with all we are trying to do for Him and His church. Yet God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose of human aspirations.
Psalm 8:3–4
3 When I observe Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place,
4 what is man that You remember him, the son of man that You look after him?
You will never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does not have something far greater that He could do in and through your life.
Saul of Tarsus worked harder than anyone else to impress God with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements were but rubbish compared to God's will for his life.
Philippians 3:7–8
7 But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ.
8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ
Our problem is that we become too easily enamored with our own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives and that God must, therefore, be pleased with us. Until we have heard from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become or all that God could accomplish through us.
Let me challenge you today. You need to remind yourself that the Father sees the “big picture,” that His power far exceeds your limited imagination. You must set aside your own agenda, however lofty. You must never become satisfied with your own dreams, for they are finite at best.
When you follow God's direction you will witness things happening in your life that can only be explained by His powerful presence. How could you be satisfied with anything less?
A pastor friend years ago made this statement to his congregation and as a challenge "to dream a dream so great that if God's Hand is not in it it is destined to failure". I have shared that thought so many times over the years. It is a profound and challenging thought. Dreaming is what we do and then follow His direction.
In God's Grace,
Elbert Nasworthy
