Living life in its fullness (October 18 2008)

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
Because we are made in the image of God and likeness of God, He wants us to be victorious, wise, full of love, and one who overcomes.

Colossians 1:15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
"He" here refers to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we can only release our full potential if we are in Christ.
Some might argue: Some non-Christians lead a successful life with much achievement.
But we know that these great achievements will amount to nothing in death for them.

John 10:10
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Let us live life in its fullness.

How?

1) Have a clear and specific goal.
If a ship in the ocean does not know its destination, it will end up lost.
Similarly, if we do not have a goal, we would end up nowhere.

Philippians 3:13-15
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
Paul's goal was to win the prize for which God has called him heavenward in Christ Jesus. That was why he was determined and unafraid of persecution.
In the same way, a person with a clear goal would channel all of his God-given time, talents and resources to fulfill this goal.

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
Seriously and sincerely seek a clear goal from God, and God will give it to you.


2) Start dreaming
Dreaming is important because everything begins with a dream.
Dreams are powerful and are without limits.
Once you have started, you nurture your dream, and you dream out the details.

3) Remove the negative elements.
Negative thinking, negative experiences, negative attitudes, and negative feelings
All of these would pull you down; they would block and hinder your potential.

Do away with negative thoughts. Rid yourself of fear, worry, anxiety and doubt.
And no one should ever even think of the word "impossible" for we know that
Matthew 19:26
"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
To change a negative attitude to a positive one
1) Locate these negative thoughts and attitudes
2) Remove it in the name of Jesus
3) Replace it with the word of God.
Then your mind will be renewed.

Life is simply too short to waste. It is not worth being pulled down by these negative elements. Let us be joyful and positive.
And press forward.

Shape. What's next?

You are a masterpiece of God. We all know that. But what's next?
It's like climbing a hill. As you walk up the mountain, you'll see more and more of the landscape below. As you continue living life for God, you'll begin to see more and more of what you were created for. And then you will taste the meaning of this life.

In Chariots of Fire (1981), Eric Liddell said this:
I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.
In the movie, he ran because running was his purpose, his God-given gift to glorify God.
What is yours?

Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Do you want to run the path that God has intended for you to run? Then you have to know your specific purpose for the kingdom of God. To realize this purpose, there are three things we have to do.

Firstly, we've got to be connected to God.
It is God’s will that we honour Him. We can only fulfill our purpose here on earth if we love God with all of our hearts. It is only when we love God that our motives will be spirit-filled rather than self-centred. When we connect to God, He puts in us the love and compassion for people, and only then can we focus on people rather than ourselves.

Also, you can't just call your friends only when you have a favor to ask of them. In the same way, we can’t ignore God and only turn to him in prayer when we have a request. We have got to talk to God continually.

Look at your phone. The basic function of a phone is to communicate with people. And when you call somebody over the phone you expect a response. Because God loves us, He wants to speak to us and is always calling us. But we have to pick up the phone and respond!

John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Without God, we can do nothing at all. If we truly want to do something, we have to pursue God.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Both of these verses are telling us that we have to connect back to God, that’s everything we want to build our purpose and dreams on. It’s the most basic and crucial thing to do.

Secondly, we have to realize our dreams for God's kingdom.
Are you truly alive? You are truly alive when you function in your God-given dream for His kingdom.
The shirt you are wearing, the service you go to every week, the computer screen you're looking at, they all were once a part of somebody’s dream.

Ephesians 3:20
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

Go and catch a God- sized vision! God wants a big harvest of fruits from your little tree. Some of us are content with what God has given us, or where He has placed us in. As a result we do not seek to do more.

One day, Nehemiah’s brother came to him and told him that what's happening back at home isn't good at all:

Nehemiah (1&2)
They said to me, "Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Then, he was cupbearer to the king. It goes on like this:

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."

I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?" The king said to me, "What is it you want?"

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

Nehemiah was cup bearer to the king. This meant that he probably led a good life, with good food and wine and the favor of the king. He however, was not satisfied seeing Jerusalem broken down and wanted to go back personally to rebuild the city with his very own hands.

We have to be like Nehemiah, and do something about whatever God has put into our heart to do. We cannot just pray without action; we have to respond with actions. We have to take up responsibility to make a change and to impact our world, regardless of whatever circumstances we are in, good or bad.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
There is only one Mother Theresa, one Billy Graham, and one Martin Luther King. But there’s also only one of you, and the same God who lives in them lives in you. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the size of your dream.

Remember this:
Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Lastly, we have to activate our personal best.
When you operate within what God had made you to do, you will be very effective and efficient in serving people.

Romans 12:6-8
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Read this. It’s also from Chariots of Fire.
Eric liddell:
You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape - especially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe your dinner's burnt. Maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "Believe, have faith," in the face of life's realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. There is no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, "Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me." If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.

We ought to always commit ourselves to seeking and loving God. And let our eyes be fixed on God, keeping in mind that whatever we are doing, we are doing it for God. We know that God will honour those who honour Him.