Theme of the Week: Godly Men Have A Vision for Life
Bible Verse: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 6:1-19
Our world loves big dreamers. Steve Jobs declared Apple’s goal was to “put a dent in the universe.”1 Young Theo Epstein had the audacity to dream of breaking the World Series championship drought for the Boston Red Sox. And then did it. Twice. Our world loves big dreamers. Great! So, what’s the problem? The problem is our world loves big dreamers from a distance. Up close and personal, not so much.
Consider Nehemiah. This manly man is an Old Testament hero who dreamed big and sought to rebuild the protective walls around Jerusalem. The walls used to be a source of national pride, but now they were indicative of their national disarray. In the midst of his attempt and eventual success, he was able to keep it about God and not himself. Yet there were critics who tried to get him off rack or, specifically, off the wall. His detractors were distractors who attempted to get him to stop working toward the vision.
One day some boys called him out and accused him of not doing good work. He was working; they were criticizing. He was on the wall in sweat-stained clothes; they were on the ground in religious garments. He shouted down to them, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” (Nehemiah 6:3 ESV).
In fact, the giver of dreams says the problem is actually the opposite: we don’t dream big enough: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20, emphasis added).
Don’t be afraid to dream big. What does that look like? How about launching a great company that puts a dent in the universe? How about turning the group of twelve-year-olds you coach into a band of solid young men? How about being the first person in your family to have a great marriage so that your great-grandkids can toast your love at your fiftieth wedding anniversary?
1 Jason Snell, “Steve Jobs: Making a Dent in the Universe,” Macworld, October 6, 2011, https://www.macworld.com/article/1162827/macs/steve-jobs-making-a-dent-in-the-universe.html.
Taken from The Five Marks of a Man: Finding Your Path to Courageous Manhood by Brian Tome. Copyright ©2018 by Brian Tome. Used by permission of Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI. bakerpublishinggroup.com.
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