Made For This - "Permission to Dream"
"By this divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life..." 2 Peter 1:3a
Please read Made For This, "Permission to Dream." (pages 48 through 51.
What did you imagine when you were younger?
What did you dream you'd been when you "grew up"?
When did you stop dreaming?
Ouch! That seems harsh, and it's an awful way to begin this devotion. But, let's be honest. It's true for all of us. At some point in life, in work, in marriage, and in many other things, the brokenness of this world assaults our freedom to dream. In our minds, dreaming starts to feel childish. It seems like something we should give up for the necessary tasks of "adulting".
Jennie said, "We were built with the ability to dream, but we've lost it." I think she's probably right.
As if that weren't enough, we've also accepted a diminished view of Jesus. We accept a miniature version of Jesus, because our tempered imaginations require us to need an explanation for all things.... including the Creator of the Universe. Why don't we realize that if our limited minds can understand and explain it, He isn't as amazing as the Bible says? I mean, where is the mystery in that?
Sisters, I really want you to spend ample time in the Word and with Jennie's thoughtful questions today. Rather than offer you a whole lot of my words, I'm going to include the scripture passage(The Passion Translation) from the Read and Reflect section. Please read over it carefully and journal your thoughts and prayers.
We serve a God that has equipped us for this life and given us permission to dream with Him. Let's take Him up on that offer. We don't have to understand it all. We do have to believe, trust, and go.
Everything we could ever need for life and complete devotion to God has already been deposited in us by his divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him who has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness. As a result of this, he has given you magnificent promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power of. these tremendous promises you can experience partnership with the divine nature, by which you have escaped the corrupt desires that are of the world. So devote yourselves to lavishly supplementing your faith with goodness, and to goodness add understanding, and to understanding add the strength of self-control, and to self-control, add patient endurance, and to patient endurance add godliness, and to godliness add mercy toward your brothers and sisters, and to mercy toward others add unending love. Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive of fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately, But if anyone lacks these things, he is blind, constantly closing his eyes to the mysteries of our faith, and forgetting his innocence -- for his past sins have been washed away. For this reason, beloved ones, be eager to confirm and validate that God has invited you to salvation and claimed you as his own. If you do these things you will never stumble. As a result, the kingdom's gates will open wide to you as God choreographs your triumphant entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.
2 Peter 1: 3-11
Our GIANT God has invited us into His ENORMOUS story. Let's stop trying to figure it out and simply accept His invitation.
Heavenly Father, I'm overwhelmed with gratitude again. How could I ever understand it all? How can I make sense of it all? Thank you for not expecting that of me. Clearly, You have enough understanding for the both of us and have asked me to fall into submission..... to take what I do know in my little story and share it as part of Your bigger story. What an honor! I hope this is the prayer of all of my sisters. We each have our own story. We all have a part to play. Today, do personal work with each one of us. Help us to understand the magnitude of Your love for each of us a little more clearly. When we encounter the realness of You, we will take that love to as many people as possible. Amen.
