24/7 Youth SpringBreakAway

What is God looking for?

That's a question I often think about:  "What is God really looking for from me?" Today in my devotional time, I came across a verse I've read many times, but it unusually got my attention. Often when I'm reading the Scriptures I sense the Spirit drawing me to focus in on a specific verse and giving me new insight from it - that's what He did.  This is the verse:

"My hands have made both heaven and earth; they and everything in them are mine.  I, the Lord, have spoken! I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word." Isaiah 66:2

At first I couldn't see the connection between the first part of the verse about God making and owning everything in "heaven and earth" and the second part about Him blessing those with "humble and contrite hearts", but it started making sense when I read it in some other translations that clarify the connection:

"I made all this! I own all this!" God's Decree. "But there is something I'm looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say." (Message)

"All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look, to the humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at my word." (NRS)

I think what God is saying is that though He created everything on the earth and heaven - all the amazing things in this universe: the skies, the stars, the oceans, the amazing animals, plants, galaxies, mountains, and all the spiritual world: the angels, spiritual powers, etc.  - what He is really looking for is someone who is humble, simple, and submissive to Him.  Someone who cries in His presence, someone who loves Him deeply, who trembles in reverence when He speaks, who takes His words seriously.  

Often, I think there's so much pressure for Christians to focus on learning a lot of things, or to serve a certain amount, or to build significant ministries, or to accomplish big tasks, but then we end up missing out on what God is really looking for:  people with humble hearts and broken spirits.  

Paul spoke of these people as those who "brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart" (2 Cor. 5:12)  

God forgive us for trying to serve you more than to love you.  Forgive us for trying to build great ministries, but forgetting to build great hearts.  I pray that we, Your Church, would be known once again for our unfailing love, deep compassion, and our Christlike humility of heart.  

How Big Are We Willing To Dream?

I often think about one of Louie Giglio's prayers recorded in the Passion OneDay Live cd that goes something like this: "I pray that they will dream dreams that are as big as You are God!"  Last week I spent some time meditating and journaling on two Bible passages hoping and desiring for them to take my faith to a new level.  They are verses that I have in my mind, but I have been trying to take them to the depth of my heart and faith.  Here they are:

"Now Glory be to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:20

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine..." Isaiah 55:8

Both of these passages talk about how God is able to do more than I can even "think" or "imagine".  The thing is...  I can imagine some pretty big things, and those are already hard to believe God for, but what I've been praying is that God would show me how to trust and believe that He can do even more than the stretch of my imagination.  Wow, that is faith isn't it?  

Well, with this in mind, I did something that I had never done before and I'd like to recommend to anyone that might read this.  I wrote down some of my dreams... as far and big as I could imagine them to be.  I did not hold back.  I did not want to belittle God with my small dreams.  These are some of the things I wrote down: 

1. That He would use my life to influence for His Glory every single nation on this Earth.
2. That millions of people would be healed, restored, and saved through my family.
3. That my life and my family would make an impact during our lifetime that would last through all future generations.
4. That my life and my family would not only live up to our human potential, but supernaturally exceed our limitations as we forcefully advance His Kingdom.

Then, after I wrote down these BIG dreams that I could imagine, I quoted and prayed those verses again: that He would "accomplish infinitely more than I might ask or think..." and that though my imagination is quite LARGE, His "ways are far beyond anything I could imagine." 

That's what I'm shooting for, the outcome is His.  My desire is that by looking at my life, everyone can see that I serve a BIG God - and that He is able to do whatever He desires- and He might just use us, if we believe Him for BIG things.  How big can you imagine... ?