How to accomplish our dreams ?

날짜: 
2003/01/26
설교: 

Gen 13:1-18 How to accomplish our dreams ?
Full gospel churches put emphasis on the five-fold gospel, which is salvation, fullness of the Holy Spirit, divine healing, blessing and second coming of Jesus Christ. The purpose of Christians is not only being saved but also accomplishing our dreams even on earth. God wants us to accomplish our dreams even in this foreign land. Therefore let's look at the ways of accomplishing our dreams especially in today's scripture.
1. Look and see.
Abram lived with his nephew Lot. They became rich and rich together. But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. And quarreling arose between Abram's herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot. So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me. Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right, if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."
Lot chose for himself the whole plain of Sodom and Gomorrah because it looked like the garden of the Lord. After Lot left Abram, Abram felt lonely. But God appeared to him and said, "Abram, lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever."(Gen 13:14)
In this scripture, God said to Abram, "Lift up your eyes and look. I will give the land that you see." This means "If you do not look, if you do not see, the land will not be given to you."
Psychologists tell that if a man look and see his specific future or purpose continuously, there is a good possibility of accomplishment. Therefore let's look and see the good image of ourselves. Don't look and see the terrible image of yourselves.
Satan also knows this rule. So he told Eve just to look and see the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. When she saw the fruit, it looked good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some and ate it. If she did not look and see the fruit, she would neither take it nor eat it.
In Genesis 19, the angels of God said to the family of Lot, "Don't look back." But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Brothers and sisters, don't look back at the bad image of your husband or wife or children. But look at the image of success and blessing.
Jacob promised with his maternal uncle Laban that his wage would be the newly-born speckled, spotted and dark-colored flocks. Then he took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he placed the peeled branches in front of the flocks so that the flocks could see the peeled branches. Then they bore young that were speckled, spotted and streaked.
2. Pray with burning desire.
In Luke 18, we can see a widow who kept coming to the judge with plea. For some time the judge refused her plea because he did not fear God. But finally he granted her request because the widow kept bothering him. And Jesus said, "Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night ?"
In Luke 11, we also see a man who wanted to borrow three loaves of bread from his friend at midnight. But the friend answered, "Don't bother me. The door is already locked and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything." But he kept knocking on the door. Then the friend got up and said, "I will not get up and give you the bread because you are my friend, yet because of your boldness."
Brothers and sisters, how long have you been praying to God ? I want you to pray with burning desire like the widow of Luke 18 and the man of Luke 11. God says, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."(Jer 33:3) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."(Jer 29:13)
Today's scripture said, "Abram built an altar and called in the name of the Lord." That's why he was blessed by God even in the foreign land.
3. Do and Sacrifice oneself.
Bible says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."(James 2:26) This means, "If we only look and pray without deeds, we are nothing but dreamers or mystics. Today's scripture says, "Go, walk through the length and breadth at the land, for I am giving it to you."
Brother and sisters, we have to do and sacrifice ourselves to accomplish our dreams. Without self-sacrifice and without deeds, our dreams will not be accomplished. Of course, self-sacrifice and deeds are not easy to us. But remember that self-sacrifice and deeds will bring us the rewards in the future. I hope all of your dreams to be accomplished in this foreign land.