January 6, 2008 Sermon Notes

Pastor Matt Anderson --- January 6, 2008
“You Were Made for This—Discovering God’s Dream for Your Life”
You Were Made for This—Discovering God’s Dream for Your Life series (Part One)

God has uniquely positioned each of us and given us specific gifts and passions to have an eternal impact.

“God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits.” -1 Corinthians 12.6-7 (The Message)

Note:  Our dreams are often self-centered; God’s dreams for us bring about a greater good.

Steps we can take this year:

     1.  Be proactive in discovering God’s dream rather than passive. -Esther 4

     2.  Pursue God’s dream for your life, not someone else’s. -Genesis 25-32

 

A morning thought...

Many of us are waiting for that indefinable moment when we’ll get it all together. However, Jesus is interested in our current circumstances and situations—where we are right now. It can be hard to accept that even the weakest person can be a working part of the kingdom of God. We must realize that Jesus does not want us to wait around to reach some imaginary standard of worthiness. We will never deserve Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, but it is offered to all of us just the same. Right now, as rough and rude and unpolished and sinful as we are, Jesus Christ will take us. At this moment of realization and acceptance, we begin to recognize that for which we have been created. Every person is one of God’s dreams set in motion, becoming His child on earth.

–George Skramstad, 2008