As I worked my monotonous (and often dreaded) job of book repair this morning, I was deeply challenged as I listened to Joel Thomas’ sermon titled An Immeasurable Life. These are the thoughts that have been since provoked:
Do you remember being a kid and believing that anything was possible? I do. I believed in Santa Claus until I was probably ten years old--always justifying the seemingly impossible and refusing to lose hope in the "magic of Christmas". I also believed that my dad had the super-human strength to accomplish anything in the world, and that I could be a famous singer (or dolphin trainer, or FBI agent, or ...it really changed by the month). We weren't afraid to dream when we were young because nothing seemed out of reach. Growing up somehow has a way of drawing us back--a way of making us believe we have to manage our desire to want more out of life and making us believe that we must learn to be content. Being content, afterall, is scriptural! ...But is it? We (well, atleast I) always have this desire for more. I don't mean to say that I am greedy and am never satisfied with how much money I have or with how good my relationships are..., but I do mean to say that I never feel like I have reached where I am supposed to be. I think this tension is good, and I think Paul felt it too when he wrote, "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Maybe we feel like there is more, because there IS more. I will never arrive, and therefore I must never settle for comfortable and mediocrity.
Joel said in his message, "Our capacity to produce has limited our capacity to dream." Often times I believe we settle for what we know is possible. We let life take us in accordance to what we know is within our own capabilities and performance, limiting our faith and God-given mission to live life in its fullest.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." Ephesians 3:20
Immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...
Joel prayed, "God, help me to look beyond what I can measure, and to believe that, because of you, immeasurably more is possible for me. "
I want to spend my life chasing after more--more of God. I want more faith, more dreams, more surrendering to His power, more life. I never want to be content, because God always has more.
