Intro: Everyone would like to be successful, healthy, filled with purpose, and enjoy life. Everyone wants those things, and those are goals reached for in various ways. We all have goals, some even quite grand. Some even expect that they are DUE such success and abundant life! But only a few ever realize any part of such over reaching for satisfaction.
Yet – yet God tells us to “seek first the Kingdom”, and that we will “inherit all things”, and “we will be like HIM”, and “rule with Him a 1000 years as kings and priests in His Kingdom and Family”.
Pretty grand goals those. Right? Well we know …really KNOW deep down that since we have little chance of realizing all our own human goals, there may be little if any possibility to gain the Kingdom.
Who is in charge of YOU participating in advancing into the Life of God in the Kingdom? This is much like life planning, and career planning, and goal setting. Really. So what is our part in the practical Planning of our God-Life?
Benefit Statement: We have faith, but humans want to believe many things. We seem unable to dream realistically …yet …yet occasionally someone goes beyond what they dream of. It may help us to understand how real reaching beyond our wildest imaginings can be.
Body:
- 1 Corinthians 2:6-9 (New King James Version) 6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (Speaking of “God” Isaiah 64:4 (New King James Version) 4 For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.)
We are truly poor judges of what we are capable of. We hope for success, love, power, knowledge, personal self-realization. This life is very personal in the effect it has on the ability to stay focused on our destiny. We humans have irrefutable evidence that we will not be the most powerful, richest, most loved person ever. We know we will not achieve our highest goals, since we can imagine far more than we are able to achieve.
SPS: Let’s consider all this from the point of view of a real-life story …let’s consider “What God Has Prepared for Us”.
- [Story of Al and how he drove himself to study flight in order to understand the physics of the universe.]
Conclusion: Al just did not realize how far he could go when he put his effort and will to it. He had NO idea. He was not a good judge of his dreams …any more than we are. Once he achieved his highest goal, he could see it, but it was not truly visible before then. He moved on after that achievement. He had learned to dream and achieve.
[Review with comparisons of 2 little boys in Trimotor; still of little Al – vs. – Jet, X15; {1 Corinthians 13: (New King James Version) 11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror (a [looking] glass), dimly, but then face to face. (We just cannot see what we really are or will be) Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am [present tense] known.}]
1 Corinthians 13:12 (Amplified Bible) 12 For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].
and “one more thing” [Who AL was and what he did that he could not have dreamed. The only person to have done it then.]
[Show his abiding desire to share what he had experienced as a motivation to others to not think of themselves with less potential because of the world around them.]
Close: Al found that he could not trust himself to evaluate his ability to reach his dreams. He did more than his analytical scientific mind could possibly grasp as a child, college student, or Navy pilot.
(Matthew 13:43 (NKJV) Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!)
Ephesians 1:15-18 (New King James Version) 15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power …(looking to the POWERFUL Christ)
Eph 1:18 — your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians,
Since we must focus on the permanence of God’s Sacrificing Attitude of outgoing concern to ALL His Creation …
Desiring to SHARE what we are being given (just as AL did with what little he had experienced) …
And since we are clearly Vision Challenged about our own state of being to come …
Let’s pray for each other as well as ourselves ...pray for eyes & ears to grasp more of what God has prepared for us ...more than we can trust ourselves to dream
(Daniel 12:2-3 (NKJV) [2] And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
[3] Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.)
