Friday, July 6, 2012

Swimming in the Deep End of the Pool

My Utmost For His Highest

‘The vision that God gives is not some unattainable castle in the sky, but a vision of what God wants you to be down here. Allow the Potter to put you on His wheel and whirl you around as He desires. Then as surely as God is God, and you are you, you will turn out as an exact likeness of the vision. But don’t lose heart in the process. If you have ever had a vision from God, you may try as you will to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never allow it.’ CHAMBERS

Do you ever wonder why God does things the way He does?  I mean why didn’t He create us to be more obedient?  Why did He do what He did?  Or why did He not do what He didn’t do? Confused yet?  What He did was create us in His image.  I was teaching a Bible study yesterday with the Haitian staff at Children’s Hope.  We were talking about what it meant to be created in His image.  He made us to be unique among all other living things on this planet. Dogs don’t have a vision of the future … nor do any other species other than man.  Do you ever think about things like that?

So God creates us in His image.  Gives us a free will .. allowing us to choose to obey or not obey Him … gives us a Savior to overcome the wrong choice … and then remolds us to be like the One who saved us.  Don’t you find that fascinating? For centuries men have tried to understand it but I don’t think it is something we will ever understand this side of heaven.  In the meantime.  He does give us vision – purpose … and then He equips us to accomplish that vision .. He provides the resources .. the abilities …He shapes our character … He uses life to do it …. Isn’t this life is amazing ….

I received a call from a friend in Waveland, Mississippi last week.  Someone I had the privilege to disciple while I was there.  He told me that he had a clear call from God to become a minister .. What he meant was that he is going to serve others for Jesus as his primary occupation.  I told him that God calls, then prepares, and then sends. Then I connected him to a pastor friend of mine in Waveland, MS.   God gives us a vision and then He shapes us to accomplish what He has called us to do.  You may have heard .. “God doesn’t call the equipped .. He equips the called.”  You may get the picture in your mind of someone handing you food, a canteen, a tent, bug spray, a backpack, whatever before you set off on your calling.  But God prepares you by working on the inside to equip you.  He will provide the physical part as well .. but He is more interested in the ‘inside of the cup’  (Matthew 23:25-26)

The vision God gives you will always be bigger than you are .. that is because He calls you to His fields … you can’t do it on your own … He shapes you to accomplish the vision … but not on your own … John 15:5  "I [Jesus] am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

What has God called you to put your hand to?  Is there something that stirs your soul, but you struggle in accepting it?  You know it’s from God … but it requires so much faith.  I want to encourage you to yield to the vision.  I am so far in over my head in this work … absolutely dependent upon the One who called .. exactly in the place that He wants me to be .. physically and spiritually.  And I am loving it.  There is no better place to be than the center of God’s will for your life.

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)

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