What the Bible says about Motivating Vision
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Proverbs 29:18 Where a person is headed in life determines how that person will conduct his life. The Living Bible gives an interesting slant to this verse: "Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild." The primary sense of this verse here is if one does not know where he is going, he wanders all over the place. He will not go in a straight line. Instead, he will go off in one direction for a while, then, maybe, he will get back on track again. Then again, maybe he will not get back on track but just continue wandering. Thus, it is extremely important that we have the right vision before us. Suppose we have the wrong vision, coupled with an intense desire to reach whatever that vision happens to be. If we do not have the right vision—even though we have the discipline, the patience, and the desire—we will be heading in the wrong direction. We do not have the right goal. Now suppose we have the right vision, but it is unclear, a bit fuzzy to us. We lack discipline, self-control, or desire. The chances are very great that we will wander all over the place. We will ricochet off the guardrails on the left and the right. We may get back on the track occasionally—even though we wander all over the place. Maybe God, in His mercy, will guide us back to the central path, the way He wants us to go. We easily perceive that it is best to have the right vision and the right qualities that help accomplish that vision. The primary sense of Proverbs 29:18 is that if one does not know where he is going, he will wander hither and yon. The implied spiritual sense is that if one does not know God's purpose, he goes off the path of God's laws. When people lack godly instruction, "the people run wild." "But happy is he who keeps the law." In the King James Version, they insert the word "law" in the verse, but it is only implied in Hebrew. The verse strongly implies the divine revelation given to the prophets, which is why the King James translators translated this word as "vision"—the revelation given to the prophets—even though, again, the Hebrew does not directly say it. This is important to us because it is in the Prophets that God gives the majority of His vision for the future—what is coming. There may be a little bit in the Law, but far more is contained in the Prophets. Of course, we also find some in the New Testament. If this is indeed the vision God has given and He is working out, then we begin to understand the reason why we have been given free-moral agency and told to choose. We have to choose which way we will go. There is a way, but we must choose to go that way. John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part One) Related Topics: Ignorance of God | Motivating Vision | The Covenants Grace and Law | Vision | Wandering | Wandering from Understanding

Proverbs 29:18 The Living Bible paraphrases the first phrase, "Where there is ignorance of God the people run wild." For us, that ignorance is gone because of God's calling. We have a prophetic vision, and we discipline ourselves to restrain human nature, to keep it from exercising its will. Thus, we are now governing ourselves as a normal part of life. This has to be, or we will not be prepared for God's Kingdom. We must do as Christ did. We need to be a people with a sharp vision of where we are headed in life. The gospel tells us why we were born and provides us with detailed knowledge on how to prepare for that goal. The relationship with our God frames these elements into a vision that becomes our goal in life and helps to motivate us to do what is good in God's sight. Hebrews 11:10 says that Abraham "waited for the city . . . whose Builder and Maker is God." This was a major part of his motivating vision. Hebrews 11:27 tells us that Moses "endured as seeing Him who is invisible." These men followed the vision that formed as a result of their relationship with God and what He taught them. As we walk with Christ, we are led along similar paths. They believed thrillingly good news that provided them with the motivation to submit their lives to God's will. I Corinthians 9:24-27 shows us Paul's example of what every person who has achieved a great goal has had to learn and do: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Those who achieve must be focused on a goal to a degree given to no other area of life. They must be determined, disciplined, and sacrificial enough to become exceptionally skilled at what they hope to achieve. However, regarding what we hope to achieve in becoming part of the Kingdom of God, even going all out is not enough! We cannot achieve our goal without Jesus Christ, our sovereign God, Creator, Savior, and High Priest, by whom we are saved because He is alive and oversees our lives. He supplies every need for salvation and sustains us along the way. Salvation is absolutely, totally impossible without help from Him. John W. Ritenbaugh Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part Four) Related Topics: Abraham's Vision | Building a Relationship with God | Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty | Ignorance of God | Motivating Vision | Relationship with God | Running Analogy | Submitting to God's Sovereignty | Submitting to God's Will | Walking with Christ

 

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