Live The Vision

Would you consider yourself a thief? Of course not, pastor. We don’t steal things, right? Have you ever “borrowed” something from work and its still in your home office or garage? Have you ever “borrowed” something from a friend that is still in your toy box or desk? Have you ever stolen something from God? We look at the vision of God’s love for us –the promises of peace, joy, love, protection and life to the full. Then we reason that God wants us to be happy – and well this is what makes me happy – and we take what we want. Or we may not actually steal it from someone else – but we steal it from God. We steal time that belongs to God. We steal money that belongs to God and we steal abilities that belong to God. What do you mean pastor that we steal things from God? The unhappy wife of 7 years reasons that God wants me to be happy. “This marriage isn’t making me happy anymore-God wouldn’t want me to stay in this marriage any longer and suffer.” The father and mother reason that God wants my family to have vacations and a nice home, new computer so they need to work on Sundays and come home late missing the chance for a bible reading with the family. Those blessings of a happy marriage and nice home, vacations and new toys may have all been granted to them by their Heavenly Father, but they stole them. They stole them from God. We are just as much a lying, scheming thief as Jacob was and maybe more.

Jacob was going to get all those blessings from God even without his scheming, lying and stealing. That was God’s promise at his birth. But Jacob used situation ethics, the end justifies the means approach to life instead of letting God be God and trusting him. In spite of Jacob’s theft, God commits to Jacob –He promises to be his God regardless of His unfaithfulness. What a comfort that vision was to Jacob. Can you imagine the burden that was lifted off Jacob’s shoulders? Everything would work out. God would see to it that Jacob would be kept safe – have a family and yes return to the Promised Land; the land of his family.

Living the vision of God’s grace doesn’t begin by throwing money into the offering plate or selling all your cars and electronics or even making a resolution to be more active in worship, bible class and leadership in a congregation. Living the vision of God’s blessings begins by seeing the vision of God’s grace- God’s grace to an undeserving group of greedy, self-absorbed thieves. We have no right to God’s forgiving love, his angelic protection or any of his blessings. But out of his undeserved grace he has fulfilled all his promises and will continue to do so, sometimes in an ordinary way through our employment and his Word, baptism and the Lord Supper, but he also use extraordinary means through angels and miracles to give us treasures and blessings beyond our wildest dreams. Living the Vision: See God’s grace to you –yesterday, today and into eternity.

Part 2) Live the Vision: See your grateful response to His great grace.

Living the vision is not just seeing God’s gracious love to us but it is also living the vision as we see our response to God’s grace. Jacob’s response to the vision of God’s promised blessings is astounding. Jacob promises to God that he will make a house of worship right there on that spot. What is so astounding about that promise you ask. Jacob doesn’t have anything to build a house of worship with. All that he has is a rock for a pillow. He is on the run. He left behind all his creature comforts that were his as a child of Isacc and Rebecca. He was penniless and alone. But he lived the vision God gave to him. He lived God’s promise of future blessings so he started the altar to the Lord with the one pillow rock he had. That is how certain Jacob was of God’s faithfulness to His Word. That is how certain Jacob was that God would be with him and bless him in the days to come. Not only did Jacob promise to build a place of worship to the Lord but he promised to give the Lord 10% of everything the Lord would give him. What is so astounding about that you ask? Well, Jacob had no idea how many flocks and herds of sheep and camels he would be given. He didn’t tell God he would give him 1000 sheep or 1000 camels –instead he would give God 10% of whatever he would receive –rich or poor or yes even middle of the road poor or rich. Jacob was going to show his thanks for whatever he would receive.