Jesus Is

Morton Church of Christ

Dreams n Visions

( 4-30-06 )

Dan.1:8-20

^DA ^1:17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

We live in a world that puts high premiums on knowledge and wisdom if it is credentialed. Validated from some favored, prestigious school of renown. This thinking even enters the churches of our Lord doesn’t it? We too forget where true wisdom and knowledge come from. And we also know there is a vast difference in the quality of knowledge and wisdom depending upon where it comes from. (James 3:13-18)

God is the giver of wisdom that is good and wholesome and true. (James 1:5) In math we are taught to trust the laws and rules and if you do carefully what they say, in the order they say, the problem will be solved. Even when it does not make sense to our rational thinking. It requires a sincere devotion to, and trust in the principles that govern how math works. Even so in matters of wisdom from God, it requires faith. (Heb.11:1)

In matters of faith, a person must trust the source and be faithful to His principles of operation if success is truly desired. Some examples of people of faith being driven by their trust in the source of their wisdom and knowledge; men who walked in faith. Joseph (the dream - Gen.37:6-11) (the reality - Gen.41:41) When a man or woman co-operates with what God is wanting to accomplish through them, big things happen.

When does a part of what is dreamed or envisioned? When the dream or vision is generated by God, then a call to walk in faith is required. How does a dream unfold into reality? One intricate piece at a time and each piece woven into the unity of the next. (often times even when the connection is seemingly unrelated) (pp)

God before creating the world, drafted the plans for our future and that future includes the living Church of Jesus the Christ. (Eph.1:4-5) Jesus was as planned before the creation of the world scheduled to come build His Church and it is still being built. One spiritual stone at a time As each is laid upon those that have come before it and all are laid upon the foundation once laid which is Jesus. (1Cor.3:11; see also Eph.2:19-22)

You are a part of the tapestry, the painting, the very tabernacle or temple of God . That is unless you become a rejected stone, one found with fault or defect. What does the picture you are painting that constitutes your life look like? What if Joseph chose Potiphar’s wife over faith in God? What if Peter would have just kept on fishing? (Jn.21:3)

The future is dependent upon our being faithful to what God has purposed for us to accomplish for Him in the real time of our present lives. So how do we walk in faith? What does that look like when done in our lives? Faith when practiced in a persons life looks like expectation without physical evidence to justify success. (Joshua, Gideon, Abraham) We too are called to walk in faith!