Move on Your Own Without Being Told
God's Purpose in Creating Us
Made for good works
"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works." (Ephesians 2:10)
The Law of Conservation of Energy and a Spiritual Principle
You receive as much as you give
When light goes into an atom, heat comes out; when heat goes in, light comes out. That's the law of conservation of energy.
In the same way, we receive as much as we give to God.
Give what's useless and you receive what's useless; give what's good and you receive what's good.
The Vision That Sets the Direction of Life
Without vision, people perish
"Where there is no revelation (vision), people cast off restraint." (Proverbs 29:18)
"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge (revealed knowledge)." (Hosea 4:6)
A life without communication with God — a life without prayer — becomes uncontrollable and eventually falls apart.
The Common Dream Given to All of Us
God's "smile button"
As Pastor Rick Warren says in The Purpose Driven Life,
we are meant to make God smile.
Our task on earth is to carry out the goals God gives us, the way God commands. God's wisdom surpasses all the wisdom of the universe, so obedience itself is wisdom.
A Powerful Tool for Fulfilling Revelation
A positive mindset
Norman Vincent Peale, senior pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in New York, which Donald Trump attended, taught, "Don't think about failure — expect success."
The True Meaning of Success
The process of obedience
Success isn't a result; it's the process of obedience.
Even in prison, facing possible death, Paul spoke in the present tense: "I press on toward the goal." And in 2 Timothy 4 he confessed, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
Paul's Real Goal
Heavenly reward and the crown of righteousness
Paul's dream wasn't success on earth but the reward of the kingdom of heaven.
"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness…"
The Lesson of the Parable of the Talents
Move on your own
In the parable of the talents, the master only said, "Put this money to work," without explaining exactly how. Yet he still rebuked the lazy servant.
This means we should use our sense and move on our own even without being told — especially when it comes to sharing the gospel and doing good.
