Today’s Scripture Reading (September
2, 2012): Deuteronomy 3
One of the
lies of our culture is that everyone can do whatever it is that they want. If
you work hard enough at following your dreams, then your dreams will come true.
But the reality is something different. “The American Dream” is out of reach of
most people. And that is not because of bungling political policies. We are
just not designed to be able to accomplish anything in this life. The sky is
not the limit. We are. Our capabilities and talents – the special abilities
that each of us possess is bound up in the way that we were created - our
experiences and wrong moves, our ambitions – and even our sins – have placed a
limit on what it is that we can achieve.
A second
lie, one that pertains more to the Christian church, is very similar. The lie
is that God exists to make your dreams come true. It is not that God is not
concerned with our dreams; he is. But our concern with our dreams is selfish
and ignores a lot of the problems of this world. And they also often ignore our
own limitations.
Moses wanted
to enter the Promised Land. It was his dream. And he had worked hard to get to
this place in his life. But God had already decreed that Moses would not enter
into the land that God had promised to Israel. His purpose would end as he
Israel reached the border of the dream – and he would not cross the line. And
there was nothing that Moses could say to God that was going to change that.
But at the same time, the fact that Moses would not enter the Promised Land
would not change his stature. He was still God’s man; still valued and loved by
God.
I believe that
we all have a reason to be here – we have a purpose that needs to be fulfilled.
But there are some things that are just not in our future. But that also does
not change our value in the eyes of God. Whatever your purpose is in this life,
you are loved and you are valued. Go and be released into that purpose.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:
Deuteronomy 4
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