Elevate My View, Expand My Vision
During my study break in July, my main prayer was, “God, will you elevate my view and expand my vision?” More specifically, “Will you elevate my view of you, and use that to expand my vision for my own life and for our church?” The Bible teaches us that our view of God and our vision for our lives are closely connected.
Moses confronted Pharaoh and led the people out of Egypt, not because he was confident in himself, but because he was confident in God (Exodus 3-4).
Jonathan attacked the Philistines because he believed the Lord was powerful enough to defeat the enemy, whether “by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14).
David attacked Goliath “in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel…” and he believed that “the battle is the Lord’s…” (1 Samuel 17).
Isaiah “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” He said, “my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then, when the Lord asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah answered, “Here I am! Send me” (Isaiah 6).
Peter and Andrew were willing to leave their jobs, all that was comfortable and familiar, to become “fishers of men,” because they believed Jesus was worth it (Matthew 4).
Paul was willing to completely change the direction of his life and be poured out in ways he would not earlier have dreamed of because of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3).
During July, as I read the Psalms, the gospels, and Philippians, the Lord graciously helped me have a deeper sense of his greatness and his grace. That motivated me to dream bigger. It reminded me that his glory is worth it – whatever “it” is for us. Of course, I don’t know all the ways the Lord may want to use us in the future, but I want to invite you to join me in asking, “God, will you elevate my view and expand my vision?”
Celebrating Acts 1:8 Weekend
I am praising the Lord for a great Acts 1:8 Weekend. We had 304 people participate in the Celebration Dinner on Friday night. We had 194 kids, parents, and leaders at World Adventure on Saturday morning. And we had 228 people participate in our Connection Dinners on Saturday night. All throughout the weekend, we heard ways the Lord is at work around the world and what we can be part of through our partnership with church planters and international missionaries. Let’s continue to ask God to bless us so that…
your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you! (Psalm 67:1-3, ESV)
I want to say thanks to everyone who served to make Acts 1:8 Weekend possible. I am especially grateful for the staff leadership of Lisa Call and Melinda Barlow in the planning and execution of this event.
With the affection of Christ,
