Praise......Thinking Big In Small Places


Dearest beloved of the Lord,

I have read Sok Hwee's sharing several times over the weekend. I would like to challenge/encourage all (and myself included) that : “If God be your partner, make your plans big !!!”

Believe God for great things in your lives. Our God is not a God of small plans, dreams or visions; He is always stretching and expanding us to realize the full potential He has designed for our lives.

Often times, however, God’s vision for our lives, big as it may be, comes to us while were in confined, small places. Because God always speaks to our future, many times we have a hard time reconciling what we see in the present with what He has shown us
concerning our future. The challenge for us is to learn how to think big in small places!

Long before the dream or vision for your life ever becomes a reality in your life, it becomes a vision in your spirit. That’s why God challenges us in His Word to get big on the inside.

The Message Bible on II Cor. 6:12 : “The smallness you are feeling is coming from within you. Your lives are not small, you’ve just been living them in a small way.”

Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we could ask or imagine (have you recently asked BIG to set a benchmark for Him to exceed?), according to the power that works in us.

If you and I are going to become all He has called us to be, then we must realize that God fulfills the vision of our lives from the inside out. Phil. 2:13 says it is God who is at work within us both do and to will according to His good pleasure.

Let’s look at the life of Abraham for some keys for learning how to think big in small places.

In Genesis 13, we find Abraham after God has promised him that He would make Abraham into a great nation and that he would bless him abundantly. However, Abraham’s present circumstances don’t line up with the vision God had given him in Chapter 12. Verse
14 gives us the first key: God says to Abraham, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, . . .”.

The first thing we must recognize is that we can see the promise of God for our lives from where we are. Many people get caught in the of thinking, “If I could just get this promotion, or meet this person; if I could just move to this city . . . then God
could use me mightily.” That’s not what God told Abraham. He told him to look from the place where you are.

Beloved, wherever you are in life right now, no matter how confined or restricted you feel, God wants you to see His plan for your life “from the place where you are.”

Secondly, we must understand the importance of becoming people of spiritual vision. God’s command for Abraham was that he “Look . . .”. If you and I are going to move into God’s plan for our lives, we must be people of spiritual vision. Spiritual vision
in our lives will enable and empower us to possess new territory as we move into God’s purpose for our lives.

This is clearly demonstrated in the life of Moses in Hebrews 11:24-27 which tells us that Moses, “seeing Him who was invisible . . .”(v. 27), was able to:

1. Make difficult decisions—“refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” (v. 24)
2. Patience and steadfastness in difficult circumstances—“choosing to suffer hardship with the people of God” (v. 25)
3. Live for the eternal—“for he was looking to the reward” (v. 26)
4. Overcome fear—“not fearing the wrath of the king” (v. 27)

I just want to add that spiritual visions are formed within you by hearing the Word or by meditating on the Word and praying in the Spirit.

Justin

Acts One-
[41] So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
[42] And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [43] And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
[44] And all who believed were together and had all things in common; [45] and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. [46] And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

This is what was described the birth of the first church in the book of Acts.

Just wanna share my experience with the Lord the last night:
My wife was blessed with a new job opening and she needed her file that contains all her certificates and records of education to be presented during her interview. But I could not remember where I have kept it. However I have a mental picture of it being placed somewhere in one of my shelves. When I looked into those shelves it was not there. So I decided to look into every storage place in the living room and in the storeroom, also including the bedroom and the activity room. I started the search at about 12am last night. My wife has went to bed already. I was loosing patience when it could not be found in all the places that I have looked. I went through another round and dugged out all the files and books and reached into the crevices and hidden crags. I prayed to God for wisdom because I was getting very angry about myself. At the midst of those emotions I was prompted to look into the storeroom again -- that would be the fourth time I was looking into that room. I reached out to the topmost level of the storage shelves and began to remove everything from it -- those were the heavier files and folders I have placed there for long term storage knowing that I would not need them again unless very necessary. I took them one by one and put them all over the placed. They were many. And all of a sudden, I caught sight of the folder I was looking for. I was overjoyed and began to praise the Lord for doing such a quick work. If I have depended on His grace earlier on, I would not have cursed and swore at myself. I would not have found it myself because I would not have thought of removing those heavier files earlier on, thinking the effort would be futile. Thank you Lord!

Reading James 3:

James 3:1 - ” My brethen, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgement. (v2) For we all stumbe in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

The High Standard of Leadership or the Traits of a Leader:
Leaders are judged with a higher standard than those who follow. In 1 Tim 3, the bible lays down the behaviour of a bishop: blameless, husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behaviour, hospitable, able to teach, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous, one who manages his family well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God); he must not be a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside (unbelievers), lest he fall into the reproach and the snare of the devil.

The passage continues to describe the qualifications of Deacons:
He must be reverent, not double tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy to money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience, being found blameless; likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. A deacon also must manages his family (house) well. He must also obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is Christ Jesus.

I thank God for revealing these truths to me so promptly.

Titus 1 - What is a qualified Elders:
To be found blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination, blameless, steward of God, not self-willed, not quick tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. Titus 1:10 onwards talks about the task of the Elders too.

These details describing the qualifications and responsiblities of a leader or a deacon in the church is very essential. The reason to this is, many people think themselves as leaders or qualified to be leaders in the church. If any of the above cannot be fulfilled, none is qualified. However these are not the 10 commandments of what makes a good leader in church. Who is perfect? Noone unless they are in Christ. Through Christ, everything is possible, when they believe. Leaders must be man of God, because they are relying on the grace of God to fulfill their role as leaders, not through their self effort, for no man can fulfill the law, except Jesus on the cross.

We see ourselves righteous in God's eyes through the blood of Jesus. Righteousness is a gift, not by acts. Abraham was counted righteous when he believed God's word of the cross and the salvation through the cross. Righteousness is by faith, not be works...

A leader is chosen and odained by God - when that happens, God sees him relying totally on His grace for his task and operation as a leader. Leaders in the kingdom, however, are judged ot so much by what they accomplish as by the character they reveal - the high standard applies not so much to the leaders's achievements as to the condition of his or her heart and spirit. If first the leader's heart is right, godly behaviour will always follow and good leadership will be manifested.

I want good leaderships in the church. The blessing of God falls on the church through good leadership and good leaders, then to the people of the church. I want that blessing to be overflowing in my life, while the church prospers and grows in the Lord.