Pieces Of The Old Dream

Scripture Reading:
Phil. 2;21
For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.

Back in the late 80s, country artist and WV native Kathy Matea wrote a very popular song entitled, "Eighteen Wheels and A Dozen Roses." The song chronicles the last few hours of a truck driver who is about to retire after 30 years on the road. The driver is headed home on the last leg of his four day journey. Both he and his wife are looking anxiously forward to finally spending time together after such long periods of absence. Kathy sings, "they'll buy a Winnebago, set out to find America, and do a little catching up a little at a time. With pieces of the old dream, they're going to light the old flame..." Such words evoke fondness in us all.

The title of this article is a phrase from this song. There is something about this phrase that has always stuck in my mind. I believe the reason comes because all of us has had a dream or plans that have been interrupted by something or someone. Even though after many years have passed and our old desire has faded, we still reflect fondly on whatever it was and wish things had gone differently.

Many folks teach that we should never lose sight of our dreams. If those dreams measure up to what God desires for us that is good advice, however, if your dreams are not being fulfilled, it could be a good indication they are not in line with God's best.

Here are some ways to measure our dreams in light of God's desires:
1. Does this goal have any possibility to supersede godly devotion?
2. Does this goal truly have God in the center to glorify Him?
3. Does this dream or goal help us grow in our Christian walk?
4. Does this dream conflict any of God's standards even in the slightest?

Now I realize that these are some steep stipulations, but God's best for us is a high goal.

Many Christians walk around with no or little concept of eternity. We all get into a mindset that this life and the pursuit of pleasure in it is all that will ever matter. God on the other hand is wanting us to see beyond this life and see what will last for eternity not just the here and now.

This does not mean that every goal that doesn't meet everyone of these criteria God will not grant. In fact Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 that if the Kingdom is sought first then the other things we desire that are proper for us to have will be met.
Being desirous of the Kingdom will affect our desires. In fact God uses a right heart to filter out wrong desires and replace them with right ones. We find as we put the kingdom first, many worldly things that once seemed important, fade away.

Our one foe that blocks a desire to have whatever God wants, rather than what we do, is the flesh. Selfishness as stated in our text looks only for the immediate. The flesh reasons and rationalizes us into a sinful stupor and can hinder godly wisdom and judgement. Don't let the seeming "wisdom" detract you from God's desire.

God desires His best to be our best. Are there old dreams that may not have been met on account of wrong desires? Are there old dreams that have not been fulfilled that were rightful desires? Only God knows our hearts. Be assured though that no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. We can only see the temporary, He sees the outcome of every decision and dream we have and knows how to bless us by either granting it, or, canceling it. When He cancels, He is not being mean, rather though it may not appear so at first, He has a better plan for you.

Measure what you value according to God's standards and He will bring to light in due time what He desires for you.


Father, help us to want what You want and to trust You for all our needs. Help us not to be so consumed with worldly things that we lose sight of You. Help us to keep our minds on what really counts. In Your Name, Amen.

God's Positioning System Part 2 of 2

Scripture Reading: I Peter 3:4-6
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

The word to use for this discussion is "Intersection." The word means "a point in which two directions cross one another."

In last weeks discussion, we talked about how God knows where we are and that we are not out of His sight. This week we continue on to see how God positions us in someones life to bring glory to God and a blessing to others.

There are so many examples in the Bible where God positioned people to meet. The example that is readily coming to my mind is in our text. Peter and John were walking in the temple. As they were preparing to go to the temple, God was preparing a man who had been crippled most if not all of his life to be at the same part of the temple that Peter and John would be at. As the two groups set out on their journeys, the hand of God moved the cripple into position where he normally sat, and then guided along Peter and John to go right to the spot where he was, so, that the man may be healed.

When we think of our lives and with whom our paths cross, do we stop and think whom God might put in our paths to be a blessing to? I am not talking about preplanned trips say to a hospital where you know the person you are to minister to, but unplanned occurrences. I will be the first person to admit that I don't like surprises. Most of my life a surprise was seldom (though not always) a good thing. I am not a snob or stand offish, but I am not a person who likes crowds, except in a church or other religious gathering, nor do I really do well at personal one on one contact. I am a small intimate group type. However, there are those whom the Lord puts in my path to be a blessing to. Many times God puts people and opportunities in our path to test us, and that I know is what happens to me.

Nevertheless, God puts people and situations in our paths to benefit His Kingdom of whose servants we are. So what are some inward issues that need to be addressed if we are to serve the Lord by those He positions in our path??

First, we must have an open heart.
Peter and John may have not known what was about to take place in the Temple, but they were open to the Lord's leading. They frequented a place where they knew were needs. They were at the temple. Today most Christians agree that Christianity is kept inside the walls of the church. I agree it is and has been. However, there are people in church who have genuine needs of encouragement or help. Such was the case here in the text. Notice that the man was begging alms as he had no other means of support. Now we may not have people begging right in our foyers, but there are beggars in other senses. There are people whom you casually speak to that have a heavy burden on their heart, you may be the one the Lord uses to help bear or relieve them of it. They key is to be open wherever you are to seeing needs around you. I have to pray about this a lot as I am going about. This puts us out of our comfort zone. Most of us get too busy for others, or we don't feel as if they deserve our valuable time. This is a desperate trap we fall into. We need to have a heart that is willing to seek. Of course there are times and places we can't just wander into looking for needs, but as Peter and John found out, the time and place often finds us.

Second, we need to have a ready message.
Peter would go on later to write in his epistles, "always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you" (1 Peter 3:15). Perhaps as he wrote this he thought back to the beggar incident. One thing is for sure, we can all do kind deeds for folks, we can listen to them, we can help them, but unless we have shared the Word of God with them, then we have failed them. Not every situation will warrant a sermon on whatever, but share a verse and/or offer to pray with them will be a tremendous help. Sometimes like me, I don't know how to approach the situation and start a conversation tying needs into the Gospel. In those times, we need to pray for God to give us utterance and direction. Sometimes the person you speak to may not give a chance for the Gospel message. In that case, you can still pray for them later. Peter and John saw the man in his pitiful state. The cripple needed worldly means, but the followers of God saw that he had a greater need. Unless we see that need then the message of Hope will not come forth. Such deliverance of the message need to be committed to memory. By that I mean you must familiarize yourself with helpful passages of scripture both in mind and in your Bible. In such cases you will be ready to help.
An old preacher I heard many years ago once said, "A dry well has no attraction to a thirsty man." Don't go out without the Word prepared in you.

Third, we need to look for and ask for opportunities.
Being tied to the flesh, we do not automatically desire to look out for others needs. Rather we look for our own needs and wants. There are ways to do personal witness right and wrong. For example, just going up to a perfect stranger and telling them point blank they need Jesus is not going to work effectively in most cases even though the case be true. However, you can ask the Lord to bring people across your path to intersect with them and to help them. Most usually you will find someone who needs what you have to say. God has a unique way of bringing them to you. The question is, are we courageous enough to seize the opportunities? In a hospital, you may be going to visit a patient in bed 1, but you also need to pay attention to the person in bed 2. The family in a waiting room, or others there may need the Light you have too. When we ask God to help us do good for others for His glory and not our own attention, then He can work with us. The whole ministry of Peter and John was to help bring the Jewish people to Christ. When the man was healed, this gave Peter the opportunity to preach to many of who Christ is. Though you may not have a multitude of listeners, God is interested in the individuals needs.

Has God positioned those in your path for your ministering? Pray for opportunities towards non believers and believers too. God's positioning system is calibrated for effect in the lives of others, but also to you. We receive a blessing for having blessed others in His name.

Father, help us to be of willing minds and hearts to look for those who need your Message and help. May we not be fearful or prideful to do the work You desire. Remind us what our lives are to be about we pray, in Your Name, Amen.


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God's Positioning System

Scripture Reading:
2Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

It is getting to be a common device in America and around parts of the world, A GPS unit, or "Global Positioning System." Such a system receives signals from an orbiting satellite and then computes in the device, according to the map installed, exactly where you are on the planet and where you need to turn next. If you are in a large city, or have never been to a certain location, a GPS is so handy, it knows the way. In addition to car model GPS units, there are widely available hand held units for backpackers, hunters, etc. These units shows compass directions as well as Latitude/Longitude coordinates. It is these coordinates that can identify your precise location. What a great thing to have if your lost huh???

Another function of a GPS is found in cell phones. Some parents take advantage of this as they wonder where their kids are. They can turn on this function and find the whereabouts of the phone and likely the teen or kid, who in this day and age, will not be found without the phone.

Well, God has the same idea for such a system. His positioning system however uses no handheld electronic devices, nor do the batteries run down, nor do we stick it to a windshield. God uses His Word, the Bible. It is more sophisticated, more durable, and more effective. The reason God has such a system in place is not to keep us under surveillance, but to help us navigate this life towards the life to come. Here are the differences and advantages of a Godly Positioning System.

The Bible differs from a GPS in that it is always ready and on.
My GPS has to be constantly plugged into the 12volt receptacle of the car to be effective for a long time. Worldly philosophies are like this, they only work for a short space of time. When the time runs out, the person listening and following is usually worse off than before. God's Word is however and open Book with no certain times to read it or limitations to seeking God's wisdom. If we ask God to show us something that will challenge and inspire us, even when we do not know where to turn, He will find a Scripture for us, many times just but us opening to a "random" page in the Scriptures. The Word of God does not wear out in its effectiveness as it has stood the test of time. God spoke His words that do not fade away or are affected by time. The same principles in the Bible that were effective in the first century and before are still effective in 2009 and beyond. The book of Proverbs is particularly a good place to find age old wisdom that doesn't know failure, regret, or ineptness.

The Bible acts in a dual mode, Physical and Spiritual.
Sensory technology of today is dependent on certain bands or wavelengths. Remember the old CB radios (citizen band) operated on a different signal than short wave radios or even the 2 Way Radios today. The Bible is not just a book aimed at the Spiritual needs primarily (although that is its main goal), it also addresses the way we are to live and prosper in the Physical world. As mentioned earlier, the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about our physical lives. If you are looking for matters of finances, relationships, practical living, desires, marriage and so on, its all in there. In fact, many of our Founding Fathers, some who were not believers in Christ, saw the Bible for its great moral and social values as the foundation for which the United States should be built upon. Spiritually of course, the Bible is the only key, the only source of knowledge by which a man or woman can be certain of their eternal lives. The Bible is an evangelistic book bound together by the red thread of Christ's blood shed for our sins on the cross. The Bible is a pointer to things yet to come. It tells us what will happen when we die. It assures us Christ will return and not one of His promises ever are empty ones. The Bible tells us how we can have peace and security. The Bible tells us about the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and the guidance He brings. The Bible tells us where to turn and what to seek that is truly valuable and necessary.
The Bible not only reminds us when we are off course, but shows us the ONLY route to take.
A car GPS will tell you when you are off the planned route. Usually most models will keep saying, "Recalculating" or, "please turn around." When we get off track spiritually, the Holy Spirit reminds the Christian of it. Then He will bring to mind a particular Scripture that speaks to the need of the heart. The main difference in God's way and the world's way of regaining your correct direction is that the world will offer you many many options, none of them truly work no matter how much sense it seems to make. God plainly and simply reminds us that by coming back to Him is the only way to be on track. The reason He prescribes this only method is because only He knows the right path and He desires us to walk WITH Him in that path. All routes we take that is not based on God's directives can for sure end in ruin, because man is blind spiritually. If you desire to know where you are and where you need to be spiritually, ask God as you read His Word to show you what needs to be done and the steps to do it.

The Bible makes getting directions spoken to us in a personal manner through the Holy Spirit
When you ask a person who tends to be "religious," do you believe the Bible? Yes, they reply. Do you know who God is? Again, the reply maybe Yes. But when you ask them, "what does God say to you on any given day?" That is when you lose the connection with them. You see for a religious person not knowing the Saviour, the concept of the presence of the Holy Spirit actively talking and guiding us in our lives is so foreign. The mark of the true believer in Christ is the presence of the Holy Spirit. For lack of better illustration, when your car GPS tells you, "Turn left at....." it is speaking to you. The Holy Spirit in the same manner personally speaks to us. He is much more personable than a machine. He has feelings, wisdom, compassion, intellect (off the scale) and more. All a machine can do is tell you what it is programmed to say. There is no personage involved. With God, there is more than just a person or a voice involved, it is He Himself, the same person who died for us, now cares enough to reside with us. God's Spirit is usually not abrupt, but is kind, says more than just the plain facts, and encourages us with more than what we ask for.

Wherever you are in life, God has His eye on you. He knows where you are. He knows where you are in relation to His will and the Scriptures. He also knows how to let us know all these things through His Word the Bible. It is God's Positioning System.

A GPS works two ways, it tells us where we are and it tells us where to go. Next time we will discuss God's role in positioning ourselves for service to Him and for blessing someone, even ourselves.

Take heart that God truly cares and loves us this much.

Dear Lord, Thank You that you do not leave us alone, but are very interested in our lives. Help us to remember this when we feel lonely or neglected by others. Help us to keep focused on You and give us a renewed trust in Your position in our lives. We thank You in Your Name. Amen.


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