Today's devotional reading for: Dream You Can Do It“He who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents.” At the start of a new year, it is as if we have a blank slate in our lives. We have a new beginning and new opportunities. I suppose everybody has had dreams of a greater life. The problem is that we all as children dreamed dreams and had great visions, but alas, as we grew up, most of those dreams faded away. They are destroyed by that pesky voice in our ear that whispers, “You can’t do it.” “No, you can’t.” “You never have, you never could, and you never will.” So like acid rain that falls upon our dreams, they slowly disappear. Our great visions fade, our ambitions corrode, and our future fades entirely because we believed the negative words of the devil: “You can’t, you can’t, you can’t.” And so, we invent all kinds of reasons why we can’t. We may not want to admit that there is something whispering in our ear, but that is really the problem. But the Lord has told us in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25) that He wants us to take that with which He has entrusted us, whether great or small, and use it profitably in this life for His glory and others’ good. We should strive to be like the first servant who received five talents and earned five more for his master. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it is easy to lose sight of ideas the Lord may have laid on our hearts. Is there some dream He has put in your heart that just won’t die? Maybe this is the year to begin pursuing it. Dear Jesus, I turn over to You the dreams I have. Guide me and use me so that I may accomplish those things You would have me do. Thank You for the opportunity to serve. Lord, give me strength for today to do what pleases You… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN FULFILL “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Question for you: What would you do if you knew that you couldn’t fail? Probably, it will immediately become clear that we set the bar too low. What most of us do is to do that which is easiest, but not necessarily best. If I stated the question differently, I would put it this way: What would you attempt if you were given an absolute assurance of success? Well, you have that assurance. The fact of the matter is, you have a guarantee—a guarantee from God. The Apostle Paul, speaking for God, said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” There is the guarantee, and it is a tremendous one, indeed. We were created by God to do great things, to soar high, and to make an impact upon our world for Him. In fact, most of the great men and women who have accomplished impressive things in this world have been men and women who have dreamed dreams—big dreams, great visions of what God, by His grace, could do in their lives. The key to this whole verse is the second part: It is Christ inside us who gives us the strength. We may well be able to accomplish great things apart from Christ. But in the long run, they will not be of much heavenly use. But through Christ who strengthens me, I can do all things. Pray that this year God will you use in greater ways than ever before. Father, at the start of this new year help me to realize that the greatest limitations to my serving You may well come from within. Thank You that with You nothing is impossible. Give me the strength to serve with all my heart… BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE CAN
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