With God's power working in us, God can do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine. – Ephesians 3:20 (NCV)
In the movie series, Ice Age, Scrat the saber – toothed squirrel chases after an elusive acorn. After three movies, he still is not able to hang on to the acorn in order to eat it, I am thinking he must be really hungry. In one scene he dreams of the acorn of all acorns just beyond the “pearly gates.” He is just about to grab the acorn when his good buddy Sid the Sloth so “kindly” pulls him from his dream.
What is YOUR acorn? Is there an acorn (dream) that you have been chasing? Or maybe your dream seemed so unattainable and that you gave up on it.
Maybe you are like me... when I was 20 I dreamed I was going to conquer the world. I had No Fear. At 30, I had forgotten about conquering the world and I was settling to just get ahead in my career on the ladder of management. By the time I was just 35, I had forgotten about conquering the world was just trying to conquer my toddler and fear started creeping in. it seems at some point we begin to settle for just mediocre and sometimes even less than that.
Our lives don’t always turn out as we dream they would when we were 20. We dream things like marrying Prince Charming! Well… LOL! I don’t think I should even go there; after all we aren’t exactly Cinderella! We dream of a big house with the nice cars, the cute dog we see in the commercials, you know, the one that doesn’t shed hair or stink. And we dream of perfect children who honor their mother and father. Our Pastor always says when our children become preteens we should put them in a pickle barrel with a hole in it till they are 16 and then when they turn 16 plug up the hole! I have a 14 year old daughter and there are times that I am in the market for the right size pickle barrel.
All those things that we dreamed about are wonderful, normal dreams, but we shouldn’t stop with just those dreams. Our dream should actually be to conquer the world! After all Jesus commanded it of us. Acts 1:8 says, 8but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…
The Amplified Bible puts it this way - Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—
Why do you and I stop dreaming? Why don’t we dream bigger dreams? Are we afraid of dreaming? Do we dare? Why don’t we let God drive our dreams? What have you asked God to do in and through you lately? I mean really isn’t that why you and I breathe.
Look at that verse again. Now to Him who, by the [action of His] power that is at work within us. That word, power, in the Greek is dunamis. I have always liked that Greek word. Dunamis. Power. It is the root for our English word dynamic and dynamite. It carries the basic meaning of, quite simply, “being able.” Able. Think about that word.
Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above...
Another word that I love is superabundantly. Exceeding superabundantly beyond is the potential of God in yours and my life.
The word superabundantly speaks of the ability of God to do something, that ability having more than enough potential power, this power exhaustless, and then some on top of that. That is God’s power in us. It is more than enough. It is exhaustless and then some on top of that. He is able to do superabundantly, far over and above...
Far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—
What we ask for is as nothing compared to the ability of my God to give. We ask for a cupful, and the ocean still remains. We don’t ask big enough, we don’t think/dream big enough.
God cannot only do more than we ask; not only more than we think; but superabundantly above all that we ask or think. Is your God too small? Is that why you don’t ask?
Skrat was dreaming he was in heaven getting his acorn of all acorns. But you know the best part for us? We don’t have to wait on heaven to receive His glorious riches; He is able not beginning in heaven, but beginning right now.
Go ahead. I dare you. Dream big. Dream God-sized dreams, but dream them for His glory.
In the movie series, Ice Age, Scrat the saber – toothed squirrel chases after an elusive acorn. After three movies, he still is not able to hang on to the acorn in order to eat it, I am thinking he must be really hungry. In one scene he dreams of the acorn of all acorns just beyond the “pearly gates.” He is just about to grab the acorn when his good buddy Sid the Sloth so “kindly” pulls him from his dream.
What is YOUR acorn? Is there an acorn (dream) that you have been chasing? Or maybe your dream seemed so unattainable and that you gave up on it.
Maybe you are like me... when I was 20 I dreamed I was going to conquer the world. I had No Fear. At 30, I had forgotten about conquering the world and I was settling to just get ahead in my career on the ladder of management. By the time I was just 35, I had forgotten about conquering the world was just trying to conquer my toddler and fear started creeping in. it seems at some point we begin to settle for just mediocre and sometimes even less than that.
Our lives don’t always turn out as we dream they would when we were 20. We dream things like marrying Prince Charming! Well… LOL! I don’t think I should even go there; after all we aren’t exactly Cinderella! We dream of a big house with the nice cars, the cute dog we see in the commercials, you know, the one that doesn’t shed hair or stink. And we dream of perfect children who honor their mother and father. Our Pastor always says when our children become preteens we should put them in a pickle barrel with a hole in it till they are 16 and then when they turn 16 plug up the hole! I have a 14 year old daughter and there are times that I am in the market for the right size pickle barrel.
All those things that we dreamed about are wonderful, normal dreams, but we shouldn’t stop with just those dreams. Our dream should actually be to conquer the world! After all Jesus commanded it of us. Acts 1:8 says, 8but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…
The Amplified Bible puts it this way - Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—
Why do you and I stop dreaming? Why don’t we dream bigger dreams? Are we afraid of dreaming? Do we dare? Why don’t we let God drive our dreams? What have you asked God to do in and through you lately? I mean really isn’t that why you and I breathe.
Look at that verse again. Now to Him who, by the [action of His] power that is at work within us. That word, power, in the Greek is dunamis. I have always liked that Greek word. Dunamis. Power. It is the root for our English word dynamic and dynamite. It carries the basic meaning of, quite simply, “being able.” Able. Think about that word.
Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above...
Another word that I love is superabundantly. Exceeding superabundantly beyond is the potential of God in yours and my life.
The word superabundantly speaks of the ability of God to do something, that ability having more than enough potential power, this power exhaustless, and then some on top of that. That is God’s power in us. It is more than enough. It is exhaustless and then some on top of that. He is able to do superabundantly, far over and above...
Far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—
What we ask for is as nothing compared to the ability of my God to give. We ask for a cupful, and the ocean still remains. We don’t ask big enough, we don’t think/dream big enough.
God cannot only do more than we ask; not only more than we think; but superabundantly above all that we ask or think. Is your God too small? Is that why you don’t ask?
Skrat was dreaming he was in heaven getting his acorn of all acorns. But you know the best part for us? We don’t have to wait on heaven to receive His glorious riches; He is able not beginning in heaven, but beginning right now.
Go ahead. I dare you. Dream big. Dream God-sized dreams, but dream them for His glory.
:-) You are so right, and God has been showing me deeply how much I have gotten away from His heart for the lost in this world. My dream and prayers are for God to soften my heart again towards all the He desires and that, my friend, is Him giving me His hearts desires.
ReplyDeleteCreate in me a clean heart and a steadfast spirit.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
And to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer.
Thanks Jill. I am enjoying your teachings! Blessings my friend.
Karen