Destiny and Dreams

So often in fantasy fiction we see a hero involved in a quest, a quest that will fulfill their destiny to accomplish whatever it is they are supposed to accomplish. (Ah! The power of an author!) This quest becomes their guiding light, something that pushes them on. They can’t rest until the quest is accomplished. The most well-known of these is probably Frodo in Lord of the Rings. Must…destroy…the…ring…. And on he struggles to reach the end of the road.

My pastor spoke yesterday about destiny and dreams. Not any old dreams, but God-given dreams. God has birthed in each of our hearts dreams, visions for finding or creating something wonderful. You may not be Frodo (that’s probably a good thing, given the hairy feet and all), but you do have a destiny. It’s possible that life and hardships have stomped all over your dreams and they no longer seem possible, but nothing is impossible for God. It is he who inspires us, enables us to achieve our dreams.

What are your dreams, your destiny? It’s time to pull up our bootstraps, press on (yes, like Frodo) and live the dream.

The Manifested Energy of God

Dona Watson

On the Day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts 2), God revealed a visual manifestation of his uncreated energy. It appeared to the apostles and those gathered in the upper room as something that resembled small flames of fire that rested on each one of them.

When the Holy Spirit filled the house where they were meeting, it was an immediate foreshadowing of the filling of God’s servants; it filled the house, then it filled the people. The events that occurred on this particular Day of Pentecost are so amazing that we will never be able to wrap our finite human minds around it — no more so than those who heard Peter’s subsequent sermon could understand it. The scripture records (Acts 2:7) that these people were amazed.

Try as we might, we will never be able to fully understand God’s power in our lives. He might manifest himself in ways that we can see (as in miracles), but I believe the most powerful manifestation of all is the way in which the Holy Spirit changes and directs the life of a child of God. Once we have been touched by the uncreated energy of God, he will become evident in all we say and do.

One cannot love God and not show that love to those around them. One cannot serve God without serving those around them. The life of a servant of God is marked by who he is, by what he does, by what he thinks. In this way, God’s Spirit is manifest in us. We will never understand it. We will never be able to explain it. But we can point to it as one of the chief ways God manifests his power in our world today.

In evangelical America, we often mourn the fact that we do not see many supernatural miracles around us, but let us never forget that the most supernatural miracle of all is the way God changes a man, woman, or child when he fills them with his Spirit.

How about you? Does your life, do your thoughts, do your actions reveal to those around you the manifest, uncreated energy of God? I don’t know about you, but I pray that this will be true in my life today and always.

Miracles and Faith

In church on Sunday, our pastor spoke about the storms of life and our faith in God. In Luke, chapter 8, we find the disciples and Christ in a boat trying to cross from one side of a lake to the other. I’ve never been to Israel, but I understand the storms there (such as on the Sea of Galilee) can form very quickly, making it quite dangerous for boaters.

In the Biblical account, Christ is sleeping in the boat when such a terrible storm comes up and the boat becomes swamped with water. At that point, the disciples woke Christ  with a frantic, “Master, master, we perish!” Christ rose, rebuked the wind and raging water, whereupon the sea became calm. Then Christ turned to the disciples and asks them where their faith is. At this point, the disciples are both afraid and filled with wonder, asking, “What manner of man is this? For he commands even the winds and water and they obey him.” (Luke 8:24-25, KJV)

The disciples were fishermen. They might have built the boat they were in. The knew the lake, they knew the weather patterns there. They knew each other and their capabilities. They put their faith in what they knew and Christ called them on it.

Like the storm, there are things that can rock our world: finances, fear, failure, uncertainty. And yet, as our pastor said, storms do not build faith. Storms reveal faith. Troubles in our lives show us where we have placed our faith. It might be in ourselves or in others around us.

Here comes my favorite part. I love miracles, the things that fall into the realm of the fantastic. I love the fact that Christ can stand up and command the elements to obey him. How cool is it that Christ can also save me from the difficulties in my life? Christ knew the disciples’ circumstances; he knows–and can change–my circumstances. And if he chooses not to, he has a reason. But the lesson here is to have faith in Christ regardless of our present circumstances.

In these uncertain times, life is difficult for many people. Here are a couple of scriptures that I find very comforting:

“…I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (1 Timothy 1:12b, KJV)

“The Lord is my light, and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of who shall I be afraid?…For in the time of trouble he shall hide me, he shall set me up upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:1, 5)

Thank you, Lord, for watching over us, for knowing–and guiding–the circumstances in our lives.

Reading Thoughts and Facing the Unknown

Dona Watson

In Luke (Chapter 7), we find a narrative about a woman who came to Christ as he was dining at a Pharisee’s house and began to weep at his feet, washing them with her tears. As she kissed Christ’s feet and anointed them with precious ointment, the Pharisee who had invited Christ began to grumble in his heart that if Christ were a prophet, he would know the woman was a sinner, implying that had Christ known, there’s no way he would have allowed this woman to touch him. 

At this point, in verse 40, we see what is perhaps my favorite part of the story: “And answering, Jesus said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he said, ‘Teacher, speak.’” The passage goes on to detail a parable Christ told about a creditor with two debtors, neither of whom could afford to repay their loan. Nonetheless, the creditor forgave their debts, one 500 denarii and the other 50. The story illustrates how those who are forgiven much, love much and those who are forgiven little, often love little. 

Many have waxed eloquent on the outcome of the story and the lesson Christ taught. However, today I am drawn back to verse 40 and the fact that Jesus answered Simon’s thoughts. That is the stuff legends are made of. If this were to happen in a novel, we would see some kind of sage who would know everything about you before you said anything, an all-powerful character who could bend heaven and earth at will. In such a story, the other party often either trembles in fear or bows in deep respect before such a formidable figure.

What joy to think that this is who my Lord is! Christianity is all about him, the one who can read my thoughts, the one true, all-powerful King of heaven and earth. Before such a God, I have no right to demand anything. I can only bow my head in humility before such power, before the One who knows the unknown. And the amazing part? He loves me. He knows me. He knows my life, just as he knew the situation with the woman who wept on his feet. He knew her, he loved her, and he forgave her. He wanted to help her face the unknowns in her life. 

The Bible teaches that he wants to extend that love to me. Christ wants to help me face the unknowns in my life. All I need to do is humble myself before him, honor him and seek forgiveness. He knows the answers. He knows the solutions we need to face the unknown.

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