2020 VISION
We are rapidly approaching the NEW DECADE! Will you have 2020 vision in this new decade? Spiritually speaking you can. This decade will hold incredible moments, life-changing inventions, tragic events, hardship, victories, beginnings, and endings. For each of us who enter the new decade, there are blank pages, uncertainties, hopes, dreams, fears.
It would be great if we could rely on someone for advice and guidance who had inside information on what the decade holds for us. If only there were someone we knew, who had been into our tomorrows, who had a unique vision, and could offer us wisdom as to how to proceed: when we should pause when we should risk when we should prepare when we should advance with courage.
Caught in time and living moment to moment we often forget that God is not restricted by time. He has been in all of our tomorrows. This coming decade is old news to Him. He knows all about it. The new technology that will make someone rich and the poor business decisions that will cause large companies to go out of business. He knows all about it. More importantly, He knows your future. That means you can rest assured that He will walk you through the decade step by step.
The most important action you can take in the New Decade is to put God first in your life. Make sure you are tuned in and growing. Begin with a commitment to GATHER regularly with God’s family to worship Him. If you were to ask me as a parent of three grown children who love and live for God, what was the most important action you took as a parent to encourage your children to put God first? The answer is simple: we took them to church, taught them the importance of being there, encouraged them to serve and love God’s family. Many Christians underestimate the importance of Sunday worship with God’s family. It can be very generationally costly to do so. I can tell you from over 35 years of experience that parents who leave going to church up to their children discover their children always choose not to go to church. Gathering to Worship is key to spiritual growth and development.
Prioritize a spiritual growth plan for your life. Jesus wants His disciples to GROW in the fruits of the spirit:: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Part of God’s plan for growing spiritual fruit in your life is found in serving. Serving others shrinks our egos, it increases our thankfulness, it fills us with godly compassion. I have led serving teams stateside and abroad and the one commonality among those who participate is a rise in gratitude. Traveling into poverty-stricken areas of the world puts a better focus on our life circumstances. If you want to grow fast, volunteer to serve others.
John Maxwell once said: “99% of success is just showing up”. It’s true! Christianity is an action, not a religion. Jesus told his disciples to GO into all the world and make disciples. Are you making disciples for Jesus? If that question caused you to fear and resulted in a mental picture that has you knocking on strangers’ doors to hand out gospel tracts, let me help you slow down your heart rate. Your first disciples for Christ are probably right in your living room. Disciple your family first. God will place people in your pathway who need discipleship as well. Some may be at your home church, others across the street or in the cubical next to you at work. The missional call of God to GO does not mean we will all need to leave the country and become missionaries abroad. Some may have that calling but most of us will do all our missions work locally.