Refreshing Your Vision For God

REFRESHING OUR VISION FOR NEW YEAR

2TIM. 1:3-8

He is a newly graduate Bachelor of Theology majoring in Missions under the careful watch of his mentor and dean who is holding a doctorate in law and philosophy by the name of Dr. Paul. His heart and mind is full of visions and dreams for his organization and for his church. He is young and energetic though little bit formal and short spoken guy. He used all his theological and theoretical knowledge to deal with all the challenge and problems of leading pioneering missions called the Church of Ephesus. But Pastor Timothy as they called him realized later that it takes more than training and theological knowledge to lead a church. His young age, a deteriorating health and the huge responsibility is gradually fading his vision, killing his passion and eating his energy.

Paul had to write his second letter to renew Timothy’s vision for the church. It is good to have spiritual leader who is sensitive enough to feel the need to refresh our vision and help us realign our discourage heart.

You may never be a pastor of a church like Timothy. But if somewhere along the way, discouragement finds its way to darken your vision for whatever endeavor you are doing for God, for your family or for your country, so then this message is right also for you. You need to refresh your vision and rejuvenate your heart and mind. God’s purpose for the church is also relevant to the purpose of our lives.

Let me give you an example. Angeline is a nurse while her husband is a construction worker. They are happy family as they are both faithful and they love each other and they have two kids. However, they have a dream and it is to build their own house because they are just renting an apartment. Angeline went abroad to help her husband raise the money for their dream house. But while working in one hospital in the Middle East, Angeline met David a handsome Medical Technologist. It did not take a long time and Angeline forgot all about her dream house and a happy family. Her dream had melted because of new found relationship with David. One day, some of her friends informed her husband in the Philippines about her secret relationship and this cause her family to break down. After few months, she received a call that one of her kids died due to Malaria. On that point Angeline realized her mistake and decided to stop her wrong relationship with David. She went to a church for counseling. The pastor told her to renew her old vision for her family. She have to humble herself ask forgiveness to her husband and to build her family again.

I don’t know on what stage your situation might be today. But on this New Year, I encourage you to refresh your original vision for God and for your family before it’s too late. Let us study the word of encouragement of Paul to Timothy to renew his vision for God.

God has a vision for the Church and it should be also our own dream for our personal lives as we grow closer in our relationship with God.

1. A VISION TO GIVE GLORY TO GOD IN WORSHIP

2Ti 1:3 I thank God Whom I worship with a pure conscience, [1] in the spirit of my fathers, when without ceasing I remember you night and day in my prayers, (AMP)

Worship is more than attending a mass or a worship service. Worship is a way of life. It is how you conduct yourselves and behave even in the secret of your own room as Paul said; I worship with a pure conscience.

Worship is the very reason why God created us with the capacity to choose between good and evil. God made us with free will so that we can choose to love or disobey Him. We are not a robot or a computer which will follow whatever program was installed to it. God will be more happy to receive our love and obedience if it is from our own decision to love and obey him and this is what we called worship.

First and foremost, God made us to worship Him. And we will only found the true value and worth of our existence if we fulfilled the very first reason why God created us. That is the very reason why many people in the world are lonely and unfulfilled in spite of their accomplishments, wealth and fame. It is because they failed to discover the meaning and purpose of their lives which is to give glory to God in worship.

David discovers the joy and satisfaction of spending time with God in worship. He develops the habit of playing instruments and singing to God even during his youth while he is alone watching his flocks as a shepherd in the desert of Bethlehem. All the time spent with God in worship and his close relationship with God prepare the heart of David for all the coming test and trials in his life before he receive the throne as king of Israel. And even after many ups and downs in the history of his faith in God, he always find himself returning and falling on the hands of God as He discover that the presence of God is the best hiding place and the safest refuge against the enemies. No wonder he was called the man after God’s own heart.