Livin' the Dream

It seems as though the world has gotten to the point where dreams can die quickly - especially when the reality of today’s circumstances comes to mind. Newsweek ran a story recently with expert after expert predicting that it will be harder for this young generation to reach the American Dream than any one before it.

Living the American Dream. Isn’t that what we all want to do? A big house with a little white picket fence, fast cars, a boat, that Harley Davidson motorcycle you’ve had your eye set on for quite sometime. Sadly, it seems that when it comes down to it, most of us do the things we do and associate with the people we associate with, all in hopes that it will propel us to live the dream we’ve dreamed up for ourselves.

If you’ve read my blog for much time at all, you’ll realize that several years ago I was an accountant. I wanted to have a job that would pay the most money in as little time as possible so I could live my dream. You know, my dreams have sure changed over the years. I’ve realized that God’s dream for me is so much sweeter than what money can buy. God’s dream for me is the kind of dream where only someone who sees the greater picture of time can dream up. It’s the dream that can be tailored to fit everything about me that I don’t even understand or know yet.

Do you want to live the dream? To truly live the dream, is to live what you were created to do, and be. To live the dream we must find ourselves in the will of God, glorifying God in all things. The best way I have found to be and stay in the will of God is through practicing the spiritual disciplines. It’s so interesting that as I have sought to grow closer to God, all of my selfish desires have faded. (Well, not all of them, but at least I realize they are selfish).

Interestingly C.S. Lewis writes in his book Mere Christianity, “The Christian life is different: harder and easier. Christ says, ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires that you think are innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself; My own will shall become yours’.”

Have you given your whole self to Christ? Do you know how to? At Valley View we are in a series called “Livin’ the Dream.” We have gotten to the point that we want to live the life Jesus promised - fully and in abundance (John 10:10). We want to proudly sing and mean every word that we’d “rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
we’d rather be His than have riches untold;
we’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
we’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.”

If you are looking to Live the Dream, come check us out. If for some reason you can't come, then send me your email, and I’ll send you each sermon. See you at church!