An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was backbreaking work, and his son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison.
The old man mentioned it in a letter he sent to his son by saying, “I’m not sure exactly what to do. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. It looks like I won’t be able to plant that garden this year after all.”
A few days later, he received a short letter from his son, “Dad, For heaven’s sake, don’t dig up that garden that’s where I buried the bodies!”
At 4 a.m. the next morning, a crew of police officers, and the FBI arrived to find the bodies. After digging for hours, they gave up and apologized to the old man and left.
That same day the old man received another letter from his son.
“Dear Dad, under these circumstances, that’s the best I can do, go ahead and plant your potatoes now.”
NO MATER WHO WE ARE WE CAN ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS FOR GOD!
Matt 4:18 What are We?
The Lord wants us to be more than we are. We can really be something for God!
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
the sons -- We are children of God!! -
There is a sense of dignity in that. -- confidence - energy - strength - desire
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Betty Maxfield survived the 9/11 tragedy at the Pentagon. In the Chicago Tribune, she said, “I should’ve been dead. We were all, for some reason, saved. My question now is, what am I supposed to do with it? I just can’t go waste it. I thought I was living my life well before, but obviously there’s more that I can do to say thank you for my life and a second chance at it.” SOURCE: Dr. Bruce L. Emmert. Citation: (Chicago Tribune [3-22-02]; Tempo section)
Who we are is much more than what we do. God took a bunch of fishermen and a few others and made them into the greatest evangelistic team in history. At a time when they had no other dreams or aspirations - God gave them something grander than themselves and
He MADE THEM UP TO THE TASK.
Norman Grub said something similar to Henry Blackaby: - Pray this prayer when you get up every morning.
Good morning Christ.
I love you!
What are you up to today?
I want to be a part of it.
Thank you God.
Amen
God has great plans for us and He will create us and enable us to accomplish them. The only thing that keeps us from becoming what He has planned is our own complacency
(lukewarm, satisfied).
The first thing He creates us to be is .... a soul winner.
I. We are soul winners
A. We hear the voice of God
B. We hear Him say “Follow Me”
C. We hear Him tell us that He will make us into fishers of men
D. We change our main occupation - by desire and faith and choice
ILL>> In the book, The Heart of a Champion, Bob Richards tells the story of Olympic champion Charley Paddock. He was a great speaker and traveled around speaking to high schools a colleges encouraging young people. --- “If you think you can - you can!” A skinny young black boy asked him if that was true. “I sure would like to be an Olympic Champion!” 1936 - Jessie Owens won 4 gold medals!
After winning Jessie Owens was driving the back roads of Cleveland Ohio and another little skinny boy called out to him. The little boy said he wished he could be an Olympic champion someday. Jessie Owens said - “you know so did I when i was you rage, if you work hard and train and really believe you can be a winner too.” The little boy ran all the way home and told his grandmother that he was going to be come an Olympic gold medal winner. Sure enough at Wembley Stadium in London 1948, Harrison Bones Dillard won a gold medal and tied Jessie Owens record and went on to break many world records.
When God gives us a vision of what we can do for Him then nothing can stand in our way!
Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish:
-- DREAM BIG DREAMS FOR GOD!
then ....
E. We learn the basics 5:1-...
The second thing He creates us to be is .... saly
II. We are the salt of the earth 5:13
A. We are more than neutral - faith is our power -
Bob Schuler - Faith is the power of God working through a God sparked imagination!
B. We are influencers
C. We are good for something
Dr. Viktor Frankl - Prof. Psy Univ of Vienna - The greatest drive in life is meaning! -
Frued said it is pleasure - NOT SO !
We need specific goals to make sure we are salt and ...
The third thing He creates us to be is .... light.
III. We are the search light of the world 5:14
A. We are made to be seen
B. We are to plan to be seen
When we catch what we are chasing we are in trouble!
C. We have a purpose - to make people glorify God!
In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.
Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work. (2)
GOD WILL MAKE A WAY!!!
