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Text Box: It is always important that we not forget or lose sight of the fact that we are each uniquely made by God. There is no one else exactly the same anywhere on this planet, nor has there ever been or ever will be. The God of the universe took the time, effort, and creativity to make you to be a unique piece of His Kingdom with a unique set of skills, talents, experiences, and dreams! Who we are, or at least who we started out as, is the set of traits established by God. This is where dreams become important. While we can readily accept that we have the physical capabilities that God gave us, and we have the spiritual gifts, personality, likes and dislikes He created us with, all of these things tie together to inspire our dreams. Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God, the formation of our dreams must be accredited to Him. While we take ownership of our dreams, it is as a result of His creative force within and on us that our dreams take shape and substance in us. In other words, our dreams find their source in God’s creative nature within us. Our dreams are the result of God’s planned and intentional construction of who we are and the purpose we have in His Kingdom. “What is God’s will for me?” This question is asked frequently and regularly by every believer. In many ways it is like the question we ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I still do not know what I want to be when I grow up! We have a desire to be something, to be a certain type of someone, and that desire comes from very, very deep inside of us. It comes from the deepest well of our being that God challenges us to draw from, because He is the source of that well. God is the source of our dreams. It is true that we can have dreams that are selfish in nature. We can dream to be a billionaire or famous, just for the sake of having or owning things. Clearly, these types of dreams are self-serving, not Kingdom-serving, and do not have evidence of godly intentions or motives. We find that God is the source of those dreams in our lives that are not self-centered.

Text Box: These types of dreams involve fulfilling purposes of worship and service to God. These dreams are usually big, really big. In fact they often seem impossibly big. “For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1:37 Now let’s break this down for a moment. God is our creator. God created us uniquely. Our dreams arise out of our uniqueness. God is the source of our dreams because He is the source of our creation. God put in you the specific dreams you have. And everything God put into you has something to do with you fulfilling the plan He has for your life. If we were to believe that the words of Luke 1:37 can be applied to our lives and if we were to believe that the dreams we have in our lives are the result of God’s putting them there wouldn’t it stand to reason that our dreams are possible. No matter how big or seemingly improbable they may be, since God put them there and nothing is impossible for Him, then maybe, just maybe, God put those dreams in us to communicate to us what He wants us to do with our lives with His help! Stewardship is about being responsible to God with those things that He has entrusted to us. If God is the source of our dreams, then we are challenged to be good stewards of our dreams. That means we must do something with our dreams. We must not ignore them or think that they are impossible. We must pursue them, being faithful stewards of those dreams, because they are from God. Just as a side note I want to mention that there is no such thing as being too old to pursue your dreams. We should not limit what God can do in and through us, simply because of our age. Don’t make me launch into a sermon on Abraham! As a pastor this revelation really moves me. My calling is to be a shepherd who leads and guides my people into a deeper relationship with God. Also, I am called to motivate my flock to a life that is completely devoted to Him. Therefore, I should be doing that motivation and encouragement so that my people are being led to pursue their dreams.

Text Box: I am going to be challenging my congregation with this concept of the stewardship of their dreams. I am going to be adding to my other various roles within the church the role of Dream Manager. I will be going throughout my congregation encouraging them to pursue their dreams. First, I will challenge them to make known to me their dreams, rather than keeping them inside of themselves. After that, I will covenant to pray with them and to counsel them in how to best pursue their dreams. My desire is to lead a church people who are actively pursuing their dreams. Imagine with me a whole church of believers who are acknowledging the dreams that God has given them and committing to pursuing the fulfillment of those dreams. I believe that those dreams will have to do with the building of God’s Kingdom and those dreams are bigger than anything anyone is doing now. We tend to give up on our dreams because they are so big. But if we believe that our God is big and that nothing is impossible for Him, then no dream is too big to become a reality! Would you pray with me as I begin this process with my church? I do not know of another church that does this type of ministry so I do not have a model to follow. This is new wine and must be put into new wineskins. I can not see how this will come together which is a bit disheartening for someone with control issues. Yet, I feel compelled by the Holy Spirit to do this and to let Him lead to places I have never been before. Let me know if you are interested in seeing where this takes me and my church. I would be willing to share our successes and our shortcomings. Should this idea of the stewardship of your dreams excite you I would encourage you to put it into immediate practice in your life. Let God lead and take you where you have only dreamed about, but where He has always intended for you to be. May God richly bless you!

Stewardship of your Dreams—Updated!

by Pastor Dave Bassett

Ephesians 3:20-21

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, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Text Box: Pastor Dave’s book “Have I Got A Secret For You!” is available for purchase at a Christian bookstore near you, as well as on our website. Click here for more details.

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