The Five Marks of a Man Seven Day Devotion by Brian TomeSample

Day 2

Men Cast a Big Vision

Ephesians 3:20

Boys live only for today. They wait for inspiration to strike or for someone to hand them their big break. Men dream of something bigger, define it, then work toward it. 

The world and too often Christians are cynical of success and big dreams. But big dreams, big visions, and grand ambitions are sprinkled throughout the Bible. In fact, the giver of dreams says we don’t dream big enough (Ephesians 3:20). I’m not talking about creating a self-serving dream so we can pound our chests as bigger, faster, or stronger. King of the Hill is a boy’s game and the source of many of the problems in our world, not to mention some of the more annoying cocktail party conversations.

We’re all susceptible to self-serving dreams. As human beings, our motives in any endeavor will probably never be completely pure and altruistic. So what do we do? The answer is simple—but not easy. We keep going after big, God-sized visions and humbly walk with our God. (See Micah 6:8.) 

Consider Nehemiah. This manly man is an Old Testament hero who dreamed big and sought to rebuild the protective walls around Jerusalem. The walls were once a source of national pride, but they had become indicative of their national disarray. In the midst of Nehemiah’s attempt and eventual success, he was able to keep his vision about God and not himself. 

Yet there were critics who tried to get him off track or, specifically, off the wall. His detractors were distractors who attempted to get him to stop working toward the vision.

One day some boys called him out and accused him of not doing good work. He was working; they were criticizing. He was on the wall in sweat-stained clothes; they were on the ground in religious garments. He shouted down to them, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3).

Don’t be afraid to dream big. What does that look like? How about something immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine? 

We can do this. It’s not easy, but it’s good. So let’s get to work.

Do you have a long-term vision for your life? If so, what is it? If not, why not? Is it big enough or have you downsized it?