A New Beginning: Starting Fresh نموونە

New Vision -- God's Purpose for You 

Vision is so powerful! It’s always fun to look into the future and see what could be. Maybe you were one of those kids who could just let your imagination go wild, especially during math class. But vision isn’t just for the dreamers of the world, we all want a better tomorrow. We don’t want to stay where we are; we want to make progress. 

As Christians, this involves God’s plans for our lives. In fact, it should be central to how we see the future. God wants to be involved in our future. What we are supposed to become was determined a long ago according to Ephesians 2:10. It’s up to us to walk in this reality. 

There are times when God asks us to do something that doesn’t make sense. It could be as simple as being kind to your boss who isn’t so kind. You might say, “But he’s mean!” Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” For teens, it’s showing honor to your parents. You may not feel like it makes sense, but this is God’s desire for you. 

There are times when God could ask you to do something that is a risk or might make you a little uncomfortable. You might say I can’t afford to give the tithe. What if I don’t have enough? God might tell you to talk to someone about Jesus, or change jobs, or move, or even stay when you don’t want to stay. It feels so risky! It shakes our logic, stirs up fear, makes us say, “Are you sure God?” 

It’s those moments when we just can’t shake something that we feel God telling us to: confess, serve, let go, believe, trust, give, work. Or some other verb you can think of! It’s not about, does it make sense or is it safe, but is it God telling me to do this?

If our struggle is with trusting God, then we have to remind ourselves who God is -- that God is good, loving, and kind. He wants the best for us and knows what IS best for us. It’s the enemy, by contrast, who’s come to kill, steal, destroy (John 10:10). 

You can be sure, even through the struggle, that vision ALWAYS returns more than it costs. The cost of telling the truth will reap the benefit of trusted relationships. The cost of loving your spouse like Christ loves you will reap the benefit of a blessed marriage. The cost of forgiving will reap the benefit of freedom in your own heart and mind. The cost of obeying your parents will reap the benefit of blessing in your life. It’s these truths about God that should stir our faith to trust and OBEY God when His Vision for us seems scary. 

God’s vision for you --whether it’s small or big, for today or the rest of your life-- are you trusting Him? Yes, it might seem risky and oftentimes it goes against our natural way of thinking, but IF in fact it is God, He calls us to trust Him. Obedience without trust is only compliance, and trust without obedience isn’t really trust. Having a heart that trusts God’s goodness and acts on that trust is the kind of obedience that honors Him.

What’s God's vision for your life? It could be to start something. It could be to stop something. It could be something that will change the world -- or just today. It’s time to trust God’s vision, obey God’s vision, and watch what God does with your obedience!

No more excuses, no more delays. Your act of obedience may not make sense, it may not be safe, but if you’ll trust God, what you reap will far exceed what you could have imagined. 

Reflection Questions:  

1. What did you hear God telling you over the past 7 days?     
2. What is God putting in front of you? What’s His message to you this week, this month, this year? Is there risk involved? Maybe it doesn’t compute, but is it God?     
3. Is there someone you need to be honest with? Can you do something intentional to show your love to your spouse? Is there someone you need to forgive?