Chapter Nine 

A New American Dream

     We should be dreaming big because we have a big God.  Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...” Whatever you believe God is capable of doing, He can do more than that. 

     My wife and I were in Chennai, India shortly after the Tsunami of 2004, looking for worthy ministries to support.  We talked with a group of 300 families at a refugee camp who had no food and no one helping them.  Everyday the men went into the city to look for work or scavenge for food.  If they had a good day they would eat that night, otherwise they would go hungry. 

     I shared with them Psalm 119:71, “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”  I sympathized with their suffering, but told them that if this great tragedy helped them come to know Jesus as Savior, it would all be worth it.

     After sharing the Gospel and praying for them, I knew we could not say, “Go, be warm and well fed.” We went to an ATM and withdrew enough from our account to provide food for all 300 families for one week.

     We cooperated with a local church to buy the food in bulk, bag it and distribute it to the people.  Seeing the joy and gratitude on the people's faces as we distributed that food was one of the greatest experiences of my life, a dream come true.  The pastor said the food would open many doors for them.  They planned to start a service right there in the refugee camp.

     What do we “get our kicks” from?  Watching sports, fishing, making stained glass, or decorating? What if we got our kicks from feeding hungry kids, providing anti-malarial bed nets in rural Africa, or raising money for micro-loan programs to give the poor a hand-up in India?  These are things worth getting excited about, things that bring more than superficial, temporary pleasure. They result in lasting and deep joy, as Jesus said in John 15:10-12,

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

     Complete joy can be yours! Just start obeying Jesus’ commands and save the lives of those dear to His heart.  And let me remind you again of the eternal aspect of the reward.  God is keeping an account for you in heaven.  Paul told the Philippians that he was looking for what might be “credited to their account.”  To quote Randy Alcorn again, “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.”

     Considering that God can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, are we dreaming big enough?  I can imagine the Church rising to the challenge and saving millions of people both physically and spiritually.   I pray you will dream with me and be part of the “Just a Little More” project. 

Read Chapter Ten 

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