Stoicism - When
Jewish people got good or bad news they would kill the fatted calf or
rip their clothes and cover themselves with ashes. We don't identify
with big emotional swings in the west. We like our heroes to be John
Wayne - calm and collected. The reason is our concept of God. We don't
imagine him getting excited so we pride ourselves in being like Him and
try to "stuff" our emotions.
Here's reality. God does have emotions! He does get
excited! So should we. The joy that we have comes from God (my joy may
be in you).
I have
told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be
complete. John 15:10-11 NIV
I will
rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people Isa 65:19
NIV
Here's How - We
should target enthusiasm as a lifestyle. "Enthusiasm" comes from a greek
root "In" coupled with "theo"... in Christ. The concept is "spirit
filled!"
Notice this progression in Titus: First God put
something in his heart and he got excited. Then enthusiasm resulted in
action - he volunteered for something out of his own initiative.
I thank
God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have
for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming
to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative.
2 Cor 8:16-17 NIV
Can you see why servants are less excited than
friends?
"Servants" work on the dream, but they don't
have it in their heart and they aren't as excited. The dream belongs
to someone else. They wait to be told what to do by God or their
pastor or their manager. Servants are often admonished to "get
excited." So, they try to "put on" enthusiasm. It doesn't work that
way.
"Friends" share the dream with God to the
extent that they treat it as their own. They are excited about the
dream and think of ways to make it reality. Owning the dream is the
root of their initiative and enthusiasm.
Listing your Dreams
- Before we launch off into setting goals, give yourself the luxury of
listing your dreams. Try to write down one hundred dreams that you have
in your heart. I did this last week and got to 50 without inventing any
new ones. Here's why it's important to explore the dreams in your heart
- because God put many of them there. As you prayerfully wade through
the list, you will find God authored many of them for you. It's one of
the primary ways to find the will of God for your life.
God can
do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or
guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing
us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently
within us. Eph 3:20 Message
As you review the desires of your heart on your
dream list, some will rise to the surface for action now. That's when
you can make goals out of them. Make your goals SMART: Specific,
Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. As you respond to the
dreams God put in your heart, your life will be filled with purpose;
enthusiasm will be a natural byproduct. (Key 3 in
Desire
to Destiny has many helpful insights on this topic)
Finances - From
a very practical standpoint another ingredient for enthusiasm is having
the money to see your dream come true. It's frustrating to see something
but not be able to afford it. As a King, you can't fulfill your dream,
your destiny or the will of God while you're broke. Remember to include
the financial ingredient in your dream and goals... and then "do" the
things that bring prosperity. God will favor you and guide you, but we
are still responsible to formulate and execute a wise plan. Money will
not fall out of heaven and hit you on the head. The "gentiles" are not
going to wire it into your bank account either. Money does flow toward
wise stewards that have a dream, a business plan, and a living
assessment of their cash flow (See chapter 28 in
Desire
to Destiny). Here's an
example on our web site.
The
chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge
because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made to
prosper. Gen 39:23 NASU
Can you see the dream, the will of God, and the
finances? You'll know you're there when your spirit leaps and you want
to start dancing. It's exciting!
Life is an adventure. People are a blessing.
God is amazing. We're winning.