Elements of Vision—Part 3Whenever
a person comes into covenant relationship with God there is always an
impartation of vision! The
first question is, “What is a covenant?” A covenant is an agreement between
two or more parties, each binding himself to fulfill certain obligations. It is
more than a contract, because contracts are made out of distrust of fellow human
beings. Covenants are established out of deep trust and loving commitment. When
human beings covenant with each other there is usually a mutual sharing that
takes place – a sharing of burdens, a sharing of victories, a sharing of
values, a sharing of purpose and so on. And so it is when we enter into a
covenant relationship with God. When God
covenants with us, He shares our burdens and battles of
life; then He works with us to bring
victory in all of these areas. His expectation
is that we respond with the same kind of concern and commitment toward Him.
God’s burden is a lost human race. This was the burden that drove Jesus
to the cross and kept Him there until He could declare, “It is finished.”
His battle is the daily reacquisition of this planet, in order to
establish the Kingdom of God here. He pleads with
all who are in covenant with Him:
In other words
God is saying, “Share my VISION!” Men yoke animals together in order to pull a common load or share a common burden. These animals must be willing to go the same direction and the same speed or they are useless for the task. So we must be willing to go God’s chosen direction for our lives and move forward in His timing…if we successfully share HIS VISION of reclaiming this world. · ADAM – When the Creator covenanted with Adam, He commanded, “Be fruitful, and multiply, FILL THE EARTH, and subdue it!” (Genesis 1:28 NKJV) This planetary purpose was to be Adam’s destiny, if he had remained in covenant with his Maker. · NOAH – After saving Noah and his family from the deluge, God once again commanded, “Be fruitful and multiply and FILL THE EARTH.” (Genesis 9:1 NKJV) ·
ABRAHAM – God’s promise to this great patriarch was,
“In your seed ALL OF THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH shall be blessed.” (Genesis
22:18 NKJV) Each
one of these men received a WORLD VISION! And so should it be with us! Jesus
taught that when believers pray, we should petition God, “Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done, IN EARTH as it is in heaven.” Notice we are to pray, not
just for our families and communities, but for the WHOLE WORLD. This
is still God’s burden and this is still God’s battle…a yoke we must share
and a burden we must bear, in order to honor the covenant, which has established
us in a sonship relationship with the Most High!!! Of course, you might respond,
“The task is too great. I could never affect the whole world!” Well, as a
deeply admired friend of mine, Pastor Tommy Barnett, recently preached: “Even
if you can’t change the whole world, you can change YOUR WORLD.” Then God can bless your effort and multiply it globally beyond your expectations.
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