The new year is often a time when we’re admonished to once again come up with a vision, make big goals, make this year different, etc. But the mystery of happening-upon a phenomenal vision can be a tremendous weight to put on people.
- What if we’re not very good at developing or thinking like a visionary?
- What if we don’t get the vision right?
- What if I invest a lot of time and energy into the WRONG thing?
When I say vision, I mean “a God-sent, preferred picture of the future”.
And there’s no question that this is a Biblical and desirable thing.
“Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18 AMPC)
Here is how The Message puts it:
Put the passion back in your weekend.
“If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; But when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (Proverbs 29:18, The Message)
The Bible says that we go off the rails without vision. It’s hard to feel like you’re progressing because you weren’t really aiming at anything IN PARTICULAR anyway.
That means that people just give themselves to WHATEVER, which often results in a disordered or at least vague and going-nowhere kind of life.
Unfortunately, there is a part of our sinful nature as humans that sinfully resists taking responsibility for concrete results in the world (the POINT of vision).
Another negative result of visionless living is that without a compelling sense of the meaningful work we either initiate or help push forward, we end up SQUANDERING.
Jesus warned us about squandering in the parable of three servants (see Matthew 25:14-30). The MASTER entrusted the three servants with His money (think: resources, talents, time, money, relationships, opportunities, etc.).
Two of His servants invested the money and doubled it while their Master was away. But fear and laziness prompted the third servant to bury the money he was entrusted with in the ground instead of doing the work of investing and growing it.
When it was time to give an account upon his Master’s return, the third servant had nothing more to show than what he was originally given.
It didn’t go well for him (see Matthew 25:26-30).
Aiming at effectiveness and faithfulness with what we’ve been given on behalf of our Master MATTERS.
Without this conviction, we’ll squander:
- How we spend our time.
- What we do with our gifts and talents
- The unforeseen opportunities that God had put within reach
- The money and resources that were meant to affect CHANGE in the world
Plus, we can’t REALLY be happy AND be squandering.
Directionless-ness leads to depression.
This is because our conscience secretly knows, even if we resist it, when we’re squandering. To say it another way, INNER YOU doesn’t like when you’re living below your potential.
A vague and listless life is a wasted life.
At the end of the day, squandering leads to regret.
Wise servants take the bull by the horns and don’t just watch life happen to them.
Where do you tend to resist taking responsibility for concrete results?
In the next post, will pull apart the burden of desire and how to make sure we are aiming at the RIGHT vision.
Want to go deeper? Pick up the Power of a Focused Life series at the BibleLeadership.com store.
Related Posts:
Click to Share
Click to Share
Click to Share
Click to Share
Giving just got easier.
Simply text Fierce Give to (833) 245-5200 to get started!
Related Posts
Subscribe to Fierce Growth
Plan A Visit
In-Person + Online
0 Comments