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Program D-7172
Have you ever asked God to give you a vision of what he wants you to do? Living without God’s vision for our lives is missing the abundant life that Jesus came to give us. It is living in mediocrity. It is settling for so much less than God intends for us.
Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do. God has a vision for each of us who are born from above and have been made a part of his family. He has prepared this vision for us—these good works he wants us to do. That’s the vision we want and need – the vision of seeing the good works God prepared for us to do.
Here is one of the most common excuses we give for not seeking God’s vision for our lives:
We’re not willing to take a risk.
Ron Hutchcraft tells the story of being invited to go hiking with some friends to see a breathtaking waterfall. So, as they hiked up the mountain, they came to a large stream that had to be crossed in order to get to the waterfall. Ron started searching for a bridge, but there was none. He said to his companions, “How do we get across here?”
“Oh,” they said, “you have to walk across the pipe there.” Ron took a look at the pipe which bridged the stream. It was small; it was wet; it was dangerous. And his first reaction was, “Thanks but no thanks. I’ll stay here.” But his friends urged him, “Come on. You can’t stay here. The view is on the other side. Wait ‘til you see the view and the waterfall. Come on; walk across the pipe.”
Ron had a decision to make. Either stay where he was and miss the view, or walk across the pipe. He decided to take the risky way, and he walked across. He said, “I wouldn’t have missed that view for anything. It was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. But I had to walk the pipe to get there.”
You see, many of us are very willing to serve Jesus as long as it’s not terribly demanding or risky. Yes, we love Jesus, but after all, we’re not all called to be risk-takers are we? So, we get to the edge of the stream, and we see some people there who seem to really be soaring on the other side. But we keep looking at that pipe; it’s risky; it takes faith. And we decide to stay where the ground is firm.
Psalm 18:36 says: “You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.” When we start across the pipe that looks risky, as soon as we set foot on it, the pipe becomes a broad path, your ankles don’t turn!
Walk across the pipe today. Don’t miss what Jesus wants to do in you and through you. Ask God for a vision, and when he gives you one that looks risky, go by faith and prove that he can do more than you can ask or think.