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Bigger Dreams Than Mine
Matthew 16:24 'Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me...'' (NIV)
 To succeed in Christian mission and evangelism, we need to have a 'commanded mentality'. You and I are not in this Christian life because we felt it was a nice option for us, or because it happened to fit in with our personal agendas and dreams. When I became a Christian, Jesus did not become my personal life coach -- he became my master and Lord, the ruler of my destiny. He doesn't simply work with me to fulfil my dreams, he gets me kitted out for his even bigger plans. If I come to him and say, 'Lord, here I am and here's my dream... what can you do for me?', he replies, 'Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.' The Greek word translated 'deny' here means to turn away from something, or to refuse to acknowledge that you know someone. What is Jesus saying? That I must act as if I don't even recognise the dreams of my former, pre-Christian life. Whenever my old dreams come walking towards me down the road of my imagination, Jesus expects me to cross to the other side of the street. Don't run from God's commands -- embrace them, even if they seem a long way from your dreams or aspirations. Obedience will open doors you never dreamed of.
Prayer: 'Lord Jesus, help me to leave with a commanded mentality, as if my life is not my own. Help me not just to pursue my own dreams, but to deny ambitions that are not from you. I want to make your dreams my one ambition.'
© 2003-2004 Mal Fletcher
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Your site is slick and very thought provoking.
Roger, UK
EDGES is a good show that provides lots of interesting thoughts on major everyday topics.
New Zealand
Great article, Mal! I placed a link to it on my blog today and have had very positive feedback from people who have read it.
Mark Connor, Australia
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