Life's Daily Challenge Devotional

Faith, hope, love and vision

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love,” 1 Corinthians 13:13.

To those who want to go all the way,

I see three basic levels of vision. The first, which I call “outer court vision” involves the ability to see your basic needs and desires being fulfilled regardless of your present circumstance. This type of dreaming is essential to basic spiritual and emotional survival and health. The second type, or “holy place vision,” involves being able to see yourself doing and achieving the things that God has called and gifted you to do. Often, these things stretch you beyond your current abilities and resources. This type of vision involves ministry that fulfills God’s plans and purposes for your life. The final type of vision is what I would call “holy of holies vision.” This, highest form of dreaming involves an ever deepening love relationship with the presence and person of God, Himself. Knowing Him becomes your primary goal in life and everything else flows out of this pursuit. Truly, this type of relationship has more to offer starving humanity than anything else that you could have or do.

These three stages might also be seen as a spiritual progression from faith, through hope, and into love. Each stages is relevant and important in life. God revealed this pattern in His tabernacle as the priest had to walk through the outer court and holy place in order to get to the holy of holies. As Christ gives you the courage to dream, to believe and to obey, the Spirit seeks to captivate your soul. He challenges you to go deeper into His presence. You can choose to keep yourself at the center of the equation, but God offers more...much more. What begins as a self-centered dream, can slowly transform into a vision that revolves wholly around Him. It’s very simple. The more you share His heart, the more you dream His dreams. Your heart begins to ache when you think of His desires not being fulfilled.

Wherever you are on your journey, I want to encourage you. Dream and keep dreaming. Be strong and courageous. Don’t let anyone rob you of your visions, and if they already have, get them back! I know it’s risky business. The cost amounts to making yourself vulnerable to discouragement, let-down and even betrayal. If you don’t believe in anything you won’t have to be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. If you don’t have any expectations, then they can’t be walked on or shattered. It may seem easier just to be numb to it all. Then again, this is a pretty small and confining prison from which to live your life. People wrapped up in protecting themselves make a pretty small package. Think of all you’re missing. Think of all of the regret associated with what might have been. Not only are you robbing yourself of the joys your dreams offer, you’re robbing others as well.

To me, this truly is the bottom line. None of us are an island unto ourselves. One day, each of us will stand individually before the Lord and He will review our lives in terms of our relationships. He will expect that the time, talents and resources that He blessed us with were somehow given to know and touch Him and others progressively more deeply. In fact, He will expect that we multiply what He gave us to this end. Only a dreamer has this ability. God has placed within you things that only you can birth. Will you dare to work with His Spirit to see them born? Will the world ever know what God desires to deliver through you? All successful dreamers share one thing in common: The pain of not realizing their dreams far out weigh any crosses they might have to bear along the way. Dreamers simply cannot bear to choose comfort over the fulfillment of their dreams. Won’t you dare to dream? If you’ve never had the courage to envision, now’s the time to start. If somehow you’ve become discouraged and quit along the way, get up again! The prize doesn’t go to the one who starts the race, but to those who finish. Stand and deliver in a world void of any true direction. People are perishing because they lack the vision of God. You could be the vessel that carries the answers they seek. There’s never been a better time to dream!