Dream Big

​Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It challenges you.  What you always thought, or were always taught. and if you hold onto those things closely, it could offend you.  Have you ever heard people tell you to dream big?  “Because dreams turn into goals, and goals turn into plans, and plans turn into action and the diligence required to accomplish anything, so you make something of yourself.  So dream big, if you fall short, at least you came close… at least you did something… nothing was ever achieved that was not first conceived.  What the mind of man can conceive, it can achieve.”  Are you familiar with that sermon from the lions of the world, the dream biggers, the millionaires, the world changers, the money makers?  Have you ever considered what God thinks?  I considered, and then remembered the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instruction to his disciples on big dreams and goal setting… Hmm, wait a minute, it wasn’t about that.  So I looked for that sermon - from Jesus to His disciples… about dreaming big, and setting goals.  But I couldn’t find it.  He never taught it.  What is a dream? A mental picture that affects your subconscious when you’re asleep.  Sometimes God appears to you in a dream, other times they are just a hodge-podge of thoughts or experiences, the movie you watched last night, or the pizza you ate…  or even attempted intrusions into your thoughts and heart, that don’t come from God at all, but from the enemy of your soul.  But those are not the dreams we’re talking about – these ‘dream big’ dreams are dreams when we’re awake, our own imaginations and machinations – conjuring up greater ideas.   But what if they could actually become just selfish ambitions in disguise? Jesus never taught on goal setting, or dreaming.  But He did teach on following.  In fact it’s all He ever did.  He followed His Heavenly Father.  The first call of his disciples was not to dream, conceive, or achieve.  Just, “Follow me” and I will…  Not dream big so you will.  The problem with dreams, they can be deceiving.  Like your heart is deceitful above all things…  It can fool you.  Misguided intention, which corrupts implementation.  You could dream things God never had for you, and end up on a twenty year wild goose chase, with nothing to show for it but a mouth full of feathers.  God actually warned about it.  James 4:13 - “Come now you who say today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there and make a profit. Why you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow, (implied, much less a year from now).  Instead you ought to say, Whatever God’s will is, that is what we will do.”  David said, I don’t occupy my mind with things too wonderful for me. (Psalms 131:1) Some of the crowd surrounding Jesus got to dreaming big.  They tried to talk Jesus into their dream of Him replacing Caesar.  Now that’s a big dream, nothing bigger than becoming ruler of one of the greatest world powers in human history – the Roman Empire.  And Jesus certainly had the chops to do it.  If he could feed thousands from a lunch box, and raise the dead, who could ever defeat that army?  But that was not what He was called to.  Jesus didn’t accomplish what He dreamed, He just listened and obeyed.  He was a seeker, not a dreamer.  Seeking the will of His Father in Heaven, and doing it completely.  The world would think that would limit you.  If you don’t dream, how will you accomplishing anything?  How will you make something of yourself.  Jesus knew better.  God’s plans for you are so far more than you could ever dream or imagine – it’s not even close!   God said,  No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.  And love is clearly and simply – obey.  John 14 and 15, mention it numerous times in a row.  Love God, Obey Him, Seek His plan for you, and your life will be crazier than anything you could ever dream up.  Dreams of you – can be deceiving, and derailing.  Dreams God has for you – those are plans that will surely succeed.  Praying that you would replace dreaming, with seeking – to see the wonderful things He has in store for you, and then - just get busy with what He told you to do first.  You can trust him with the rest.  Doesn’t mean you don’t work hard, you work harder, but no rabbit trails, no wild goose chases – just a direct line from point a to point b – where you are, to where He’s taking you – today, and tomorrow, this week, and next week, preparing you for more than you can imagine.  And it is good!  His plans will prosper you!  Praying that PiVAT before dinner, PiVAT Weekly, Monthly and Yearly – will be your lifelong commitment – seeking the will of your Father in Heaven.  If you ask Him, and obey each time, He will tell you, He will lead you to the rest.  It will let God pour His dreams into you.  Dreams beyond what you could ever imagine.  Not pipe dreams, dreams He will surely fulfill.  Then you can dream his dreams!  But you probably won’t, because you don’t dream His plans, you just do them, and you’ll be fully occupied with the joy of obedience, and the overcoming testimony of the journey!    
 
Love you all,
dad