Tag Archive for: Purpose

Pursuing the Kingdom Dream

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Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (James 4:14)

Through the journey of writing the You Are Priceless book and bringing it together I have realized I’m foregoing the American dream. In my flesh, I would love to sit and relax. I would love days where the demands of life are minimal. I would love to watch a good tv show and just spend time vegging on the couch. Sometimes I just want to sit and do absolutely nothing.

The American dream is filled with promises of happiness when you get the bigger car, bigger house, greater job, accolades, and awards. It comes with temporary satisfaction and temporary rewards. I could pursue it. In my flesh, I desire to take the easy road and leave the challenges far behind. But in my spirit something cries to be used by God… to make a difference…. to make a Kingdom Impact. Something in me won’t be satisfied until I pursue everything God has for me in this life.

Yes, I choose the Kingdom Dream. I choose the dream that will last for eternity. My days here on earth are short. David says they are but a breath. It’s possible that I won’t wake up tomorrow morning and what would my life have stood for. Would I leave a trail of someone who pursued this riches of the world or the riches of Heaven? Would it show a heart sold out for the Lord? Would it show someone who loved Jesus enough to share Him with every person I could? Would my life show that I’m living the Kingdom Dream or the American Dream? Would my life have fruit beyond my final breath?

This is what I have lived for my whole life. My greatest desire has been to share Jesus with as many people as I possibly can. To equip and encourage those who are new to the faith and help them get their legs sturdy in following Christ. To disciple one more. To equip one more. To love on one more. This is my dream! It’s not an American dream. You won’t see a closet full of designer clothes, you won’t even find a perfectly upkeep house when you come to visit, and you certainly won’t find that I waste a lot of time.

I spent many years of my life on a couch barely surviving. Years asking God to just take me home if this is all my life was going to amount to. Years wondering is this really all I’m going to do with my life. But all of that was a precursor. It was all producing in me a drive to fight. A desire to do whatever it takes to get healthy. A steadfast confidence that said even if I lose everything, following Christ is the best thing I can do with my life.

That time spent on the couch showed me that I want to waste little time. I want to be effective. I want to pursue the Kingdom Dream. A dream that doesn’t die. A dream that pays back dividends for all eternity. Are you pursuing the calling God has on your life? Have you put your yes on the table? You were designed on purpose for a purpose. I encourage you to ask God what His Kingdom dream is for you and pursue it with all your heart.

I can promise that it won’t be easy. I can promise that it will involve sacrifice. And I can promise that you will want to quit some days. But I can also promise that you will feel more free then you ever have before. You will experience rewards far beyond what this world can offer. And God will give you the strength to continue when You’ve got nothing left. Trust Him! He’s got a big plan for your life!

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. (Psalm 144:4, ESV)

Dear Father God, Please help me to constantly be aware of how fleeting my days are here on this earth. May I make the most of the time that I am given and advance Your Kingdom purpose in every possible way. May my heart be sold out to the things of you and may pursuing you matter more to me than pursuing the American dream. I pray that I will pursue the Kingdom Dream and live with purpose for Your glory!

Pursuing the Kingdom Dream,

Sarah Malanowski, author

Live with Abandon

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Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me. (Psalm 119:175)

Control Issues

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We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God’s purpose prevails. (Proverbs 19:21, MSG)

Read Proverbs 11 today!

I want to admit something to you!  I have control issues!  I want to control a good amount of my life, but the more I learn about God the less I feel that’s possible.  Yes, I can control my health, I can control the food I eat on a daily basis, I can control how much I exercise, and a few other things.  But if I want to be a wise person… I must surrender control of my life to God.  I must stop trying to plan my course.  I need to hand my steps over to the Lord.  Only God knows where my life is going or how to make the most of it! Read more

Reflecting the King

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Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it— HE WILL BE BLESSED IN WHAT HE DOES. (James 1:22-25)

We were watching a movie last night on tv with some friends called “Deck the Halls”.  The movie came out in 2006 and really is quite funny.  But even more than that, there is a reality behind it that leads me to the sad truth in most people on this earth.  The two main characters in this story are trying to find their identity in this world.  They want to be seen by people around them.  The goal of the neighbor who has just moved in is to be seen on Google earth, to be seen from space.  Isn’t that the goal of most people we meet in life?

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God is Omnipotent

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For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)

I love the poetic words of David.  He did not have the fancy things that we have now a days, yet he was mesmerized by the work of God.  He knew that God created his inner heart, emotions, organs, desires, and unique talents.  He saw God as the Great Designer of his life.  “God knit him like a skilled artisan would weave a beautiful tapestry (Holman’s Commentary).”  This same God knit the very fiber of your being.  He placed in you unique talents and abilities.  He gave you your smile.  He made that precious heart of yours pump and provide oxygen to the rest of your body.  He designed you and loved you enough to make you special.  He has great things in store for you!

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14)

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