"The Innovative Marketplace Christian - Blog Hosted by Rick Hubbell"

Thursday - 2/5/08 Yes I know — what about the “B” in BIG first? Good Question. In this case we will start with what is most important, instead of the natural order of the acronym.

B.I.G. Dreams are “I” - Inspired by God.

What does that mean? Today I have clues, guidelines and things for you to ponder in your heart.

The goal of this post is that you will lay hold of, fresh and new, that God-inspired dream for your life - whether you feel pretty sure you know what it is, are not so sure, or somewhere in between. No matter, you can reconnect with it by faith today regardless of whether you understand it fully, and activate something deeply powerful in your life - but it will take intentional effort on your part. I am going to strike a match by faith.

How’s it Going?

Lemme ask you. How are you progressing in the work God has given you to do with your life, the God-inspired dream? He has gifted you and called you, and believe it or not He is actually building something with your life — and please note that He is also the owner of the building.

1 Cor 3:8-9
“The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”
NLT

What does your building look like so far? Any ideas?

Are you investing yourself fully in the calling of God - your functional, significant role in the Kingdom - living out a God-inspired dream/calling?

Unfortunately, today as Christians we sometimes get confused about works ‘of the flesh’ and work that God has called us to. I do. In fact, many of us get confused about work in general, often producing a type of overly analytical passivity (just ‘waiting on God’ all the time) or pursuing our own dreams (not God-inspired). Either situation is pretty draining. Often we have some combination of both.

The work that God is building with you and through you is made of your entire life not just what we most often consider work.

Getting Positioned

Let’s get positioned properly. In the Kingdom of God, there is only one foundation to build on - Jesus Christ (1cor 3:11). That goes for every believer. But please don’t get religious on me and start thinking that therefore you must become a traditional missionary, full time church worker or Pastor. What each of us builds upon the foundation is the ‘work’ of our lives. Our God inspired dream is found here.

But HOLD ON! Just because you are a believer, that does not mean that the work you are building with God through your life is the one He intended and is built on the right foundation.  Look very closely at this:

1 Cor 3:10-15
But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have”Jesus Christ.12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials - gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
NLT

What I mean is, you can think you are building on Christ but actually building mostly on:

• your own ideas
• you own ambitions
• other desires that shouldn’t in fact, be directing you
• other people’s ideas about what you should be doing
• incorrect thinking you have embraced for whatever reason
• fear of failure to do what’s in your heart as this God-inspired dream takes faith you may not think you have
• etc….
  

Doesn’t mean you are not going to heaven. Doesn’t mean He doesn’t love you. Does mean you are headed for phenomenal disappointment when the “work” of your life is judged. I want you to hear “well done good and faithful servant” and I want to hear that myself. Though this came out a bit ’stronger’ than intended I am going to leave it, as I sense the Spirit of God calling out to some of you in this way.

What to Do?

We can pray this together if you will “Father, show me the plan you have for my life. I choose to draw near to You and You promise to draw near to me as I do. I may have missed it in some areas but it’s not too late. I yield my life to you completely and as I let go of what confuses and misdirects me and resist what opposes, distracts and pulls me away, I begin to see your path right under my feet. Help me walk on it.”

Jesus is not simply King of what we think of as Church, but He is pre-eminent in all things-every dimension of creation. Most of us are not called to full-time jobs at church or as traditional missionaries, so let’s plug into a God-inspired dream, get out there with the gifts we have been given and live in the plan of God with greater expectation than ever before.

May God bless you, your family and your endeavors.

Rick

PS Talk to you Tuesday. Posts generally twice a week on Tuesdays & Thursdays