What is your Vision for your Life?

What is your vision for your life? Think about that for a moment! When you come to the end of your days, what do you hope you look back on? Many of us are focused on the wrong things, or more concretely, our personal vision is often too small. 

Jesus loved to simply invite people to come follow Him. And amazingly, many did. His band of twelve included people from many walks of life. Ordinary people. In fact, very ordinary people from society's point of view. But Jesus was inviting them to something big and bold. To join Him in building His kingdom. In fact, this was His announcement: The Kingdom of God is upon us.

In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus has a conversation around one of the most significant issues we all face: anxiety and worry about life including whether we will have enough and the whole pursuit of wealth and security. All of us have lived there or do live there. But Jesus says, don't worry about all that. Your Father knows your needs. And then He challenges the listeners to elevate their thinking to a higher place and a higher vision. "But seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." 

Basically, He is saying, your vision for your life can be about you or it can be about God and what He is accomplishing on this earth. The first is common and mundane. The second is an amazing opportunity to join Him in changing our world and bringing His values to the places we have influence, work and inhabit. 

The incarnation is an invitation to a life of much greater meaning and significance. It is no longer about us but about joining Him in His work in our world. It is the difference between our own small dreams and God's transformational work to change what is to what He designed it to be.

This is why Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The word "workmanship" there means a unique work of art. You are unique. You are one of a kind. You have been gifted with unique gifts which God prepared in advance for you. Why? He wants you to join Him in His work - His Kingdom work and to join Him in changing our world and bringing His values to the places we have influence, work and inhabit. 

That is a life of significance. Don't settle for the common and ordinary. Accept the invitation of the incarnate God - Jesus - to join Him in what He is going to accomplish in our world. It is desperately needed!

Father, help me not settle for small dreams but to join you in all that you are going to accomplish in our world. Help me follow you fully and use the unique gifts you have given me for your purposes in this world. Amen