NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

Having Heart In A Sometimes Heartless World Day 84 - Week At A Glance Scripture focus: Invitation - Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me. Revelation 3:20 NIV The week in summary, said a different way: Once in a while we confuse a big dream with a delusion of grandeur. Big dreams are best defined in the light of God's love - not in the darkness of our own mind. If we've ever run smack into the wall of delusion, then we may have grown wary of our passion and thirst for adventure. That's sad, because passion is not our problem; we were created to live passionate lives. Our problem is one of light and dark; we are created to thrive in the light, we struggle to survive in darkness. The mid-brain - the seat of pleasure, and the source of cravings - fights hard to survive. In survival mode, we become extremely self-focused. Everyone knows that the skill necessary to outrun a hungry, charging bear, does not require us to be the first out of the woods - we just need to not be the last in line. This kind of survival-of-the-fittest inclination is normal and natural. Carnal knowledge is acquired through normal, natural means. It's all the things we can learn from human experience. It'll get us out of the woods, but it probably won't sustain us to the point of living a big dream. The fulfillment of big dreams and destiny will require that we learn new things. Many of the "new things" we'll need to embrace are spiritual in nature. We're going to have to learn that bumblebees fly because that is within the realm of God's prevailing purpose for them - even if aerodynamics and the laws of physics say that flying, for the bumblebee, is impossible. Defying naysayers and dream thieves may lead to grand epic adventures, but it will require us to struggle. Expect a fight. Although God desires an abundant life for his children, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy these dreams. Be warned. Dream big and expect revisions to the plan; know that these mid-course corrections are designed to fulfill our dreams far more effectively than our own dreams could. This completes the first eighty four steps of your 365 step journey; I pray you are nearer to God as a result of the steps you've taken this week. Recommended reading: Deuteronomy 1 in the morning; Psalm 67 in the evening