God’s Dream for Me are Better than My Own
Ecclesiastes 5:3
“For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.”
Today I want us to look at two forms of multiplication of dreams: one good and one bad. So first let us look at the bad form of dream multiplication.
Our Scripture demonstrates a cause-and-effect relationship, as it relates to our dreams and our daily lives. And it speaks of how a person who worries about many things will cause their mind to manifest those very worries in their dreams at night. And so it is that our dreams at times are the result of the heavy burdens we carry around in our day, as well as things from our past. These multiplications of dreams are the type that hamper us from being what God wants us to be, the type of dreams that cause us to wonder if we should leave the job we have, to leave the church we belong, to leave the husband or wife, to give up on life. These dreams are the types that bring on confusion in one’s life because we start to think they are a message from God. Which in a strange way adds to the worry in our life, thus multiplying our dreams…it is a dangerous cycle that we can get caught in and only leads us further from the God that loves us. But thanks be to the grace and mercy of God that there is a way out of this cycle of dream multiplication; we are told of this escape mechanism in 1 Peter 5:6-7.
“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
So, no matter what your cares or concerns are we need to turn them over to the Lord and let Him work them out. And in doing so we can clean our minds of the clutter of the day-to-day worries and concentrate on what is important: seeking first the kingdom of God!
Victor-Marie Hugo: (February 26, 1802 – May 22, 1885) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and perhaps the most influential person of the Romantic movement in France; had this to say about our subject. “Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace, God is awake!” And this is all so true because Scripture tells us that God neither sleeps nor slumbers. And that if we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength. So cast your cares on the Lord because He cares for you. And although you are asleep God is awake preparing the next day’s events for you.
So, if you are worried about keeping your job in these bad economic times don’t carry that to the bed with you, turn it over to Jesus. If you are concerned with getting that promotion at the workplace; don’t carry your faults or other issues you think may keep you from rising to the next level. Humble yourself and know that God will give you increase when increase is due. Place that promotion at the feet of Jesus and sleep comfortably knowing that He is working it out in His time, and you will be exalted in a manner that no man can bring you down. Or if you are facing problems with your classmates and teachers, know that if you are doing the right thing and you turn it over to the Lord, He will work it out in your favor. So, whatever it is that has you worrying, a worry that brings about confusion the next day, cast them to the Lord and leave them there because He cares for you.
Now let us look at the good of God’s dream for us that is better than our own. In this form I would like to use a real world example of how a person took a venture using a pony and buggy, turning it into a company that is the second largest food and beverage company in North America, with Pepsico being number one, and the third largest in the world, after Nestle and Pepsico. And the story goes that when Dr. W. A. Criswell, pastor of the largest Southern Baptist church in the world, was preaching in the North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago, he was entertained at the home of deacon James L. Kraft, who was superintendent of the Sunday School and founder of Kraft Foods. Kraft said that as a young man he had a desire to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese and began as a young fellow with a little buggy pulled by a pony named Paddy. After making his cheese, he would load his wagon and he and Paddy would drive down the streets of Chicago to sell the cheese. As the months passed the young Kraft began to despair because he was not making any money, in spite of his long hours and hard work.
One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said “Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have things turned around and our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place Him first in our lives.” Kraft then drove home and made a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then work as God directed.
Many years later after this, Dr. Criswell heard James Kraft say, “I would rather be a layman in the North Shore Baptist Church than to head the greatest corporation in North America. My first job is serving Jesus.”
And because of this man placing his care upon Jesus we can today see how his dream was multiplied, going from a pony and buggy operation to a company that was purchased by the Philip Morris Company in 1988 for 12.9 billion dollars.
“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:5
And know that the word “commit” here means to “roll onto.” So, the Lord is saying that we roll our cares and dreams onto Him and don’t hang on to them, but hand them over to Him and He will bring them to reality; in a much bigger and better way than we could have ever imagined.
A dream to sell cheese and become rich and famous was realized by James L. Kraft, only after he put his cares upon Jesus, seeking first the kingdom of God, and looking to God for the right direction to go. Our dreams sometime come crashing down all because we do not seek the Lord for direction and go about things in our own way. James Kraft stopped and realized that he was going at it without God in the picture. And because of his keeping the true CEO out of the picture his first attempt was a failure. Is Jesus the CEO of your life? Is He the ruling and governing body and chairperson over your affairs?
“Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Proverbs 16:3
James Kraft committed his dreams to the Lord and we can see that they were established. He put his dream on the back burner, allowing the Lord to work everything out.
Jesus is our dream multiplier, our way maker, the one who can bring about the desires of our hearts, putting together a company that no man can bring down, exalting you to CEO status once you have brought yourself down to the level of the one mopping the floor. It is not us that brings our dreams to reality…it is Lord Jesus that opens the doors of opportunity. It is Lord Jesus that gives you favor with the banks. It is Lord Jesus that gives you the wisdom to manage your company affairs properly. It is Lord Jesus that causes people to want you goods and services. It is Lord Jesus that gives you good employees that want to work hard for you.
A child does not worry all day long whether their house will be there when they get home from school or whether their parents will have a meal for them that evening. Children do not worry about such things because they trust their parents. In the same way, we as Christians should trust our heavenly Father to supply what is best for us. Are you not the child of the King? Are we not the children of God? If so, then have the mind of a child when it comes to the matter of troubles and trials because He cares for you.
“Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:32-36
Jesus tells us that if we continue to carry around all the worries of life in our hearts, that we will be blinded by them and not see coming of His kingdom. Carrying around worry cheats us from the blessings that are available by our Father in heaven. Worry causes us to start to rely on our own means and turn away from Jesus, who has all power to deliver us from those worries. Don’t let the cares of this life rob you of your dreams.
And all it takes is for us to realize who holds the keys to our lives and directs our path, who situates us in the proper place for opportunity to present itself, which has changed us from the greedy individuals that we are into the humble worker in God’s vineyard; who has brought us from darkness to light; who has given us life more abundantly; who has taught death to behave; who laid down His life so that we can be freed for the bondage of sin. And that person is Jesus the dream multiplier.
