I am fully convinced that the most exciting thing in life is a God-ordained vision! His calling infuses our life with purpose, meaning and significance. Understanding exactly how God has called and equipped us to contribute to the redemptive story he is writing instills excitement and confidence deep within us from the moment our feet touch the ground. The opposite is also true as the writer of Proverbs reminds us…
“If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves, but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (Proverbs 29:18 MSG)
God has a vision for our lives, a unique way that each and every person can bring glory to him and make a significant, eternal difference. His calling on your life covers your family, friends, career, and even your community. However, it is almost certainly more than you can accomplish on your own.
A God-ordained, God-sized vision almost always outpaces our resources!
Think of the vision that God gave the great heroes of the faith…
Moses’ vision was to lead the people of Israel out of captivity. Noah’s vision was to build an ark that would preserve both mankind and the animal kingdom alike. The Apostle Paul had a vision to take the gospel to the Gentiles. Each of these God-ordained, God-sized visions outpaced the resources and abilities available to them. Each of these visions required divine intervention.
These stories aren’t meant to be relegated to the annals of history. Their faith is meant to encourage us to lean into our calling and develop a God-ordained vision that outpaces our resources and requires God to show up!
In his book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson writes…
“When God answers a prayer or fulfills a dream, you steward it by praying bolder prayers and dreaming bigger dreams. In other words, you chase even bigger lions! You go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.”
A God-ordained, God-sized vision that outpaces our resources honors God as it demonstrates our faith that God will show up.
When God began to stir our hearts to plant a church on the Eastside of Orlando, Karissa and I were excited. We knew it would be a challenge but we believed with God’s blessing we could gather people, collect resources and start a church. The more we leaned in, however, the more God expanded our vision. Instead of simply planting a church he gave us a vision to plant a church that plants churches in neighborhoods and communities around the city of Orlando. All of a sudden our vision greatly outpaced our resources and we were desperate for divine intervention.
I think that is exactly where God needed us. He needed us desperate and dependent on him so he would receive all the glory and honor!
God has demonstrated his power and provision in miraculous ways. As he does, we strive to honor him by praying bigger prayers and dreaming bigger dreams, casting a vision that far outpaces our resources and abilities.
We can accomplish immeasurably more together than we can ever do on our own. If you would be like to partner with us to plant Eastside Christian Church, either through giving or by joining our core team, Karissa and I would love to begin a conversation with you today.
Remember, God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV)