Packing For The Journey

Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.
(1 Peter 1:18 MSG)

Peter Scazzero has said, "The image of the Christian life as a journey captures our experience of following Christ like few others. Journeys involve movement, action, stops and starts, detours, delays, and trips into the unknown."

As we journey, we can have flat tires, road blocks, detours, bad bumps, dead ends, fender binders, run out of gas, and multiple other things that would hinder our travels,cause delays, or even a change of plans. These are the types of things that can discourage us along the way and even cause us to want to cancel the trip.

If we were just talking about a road trip, that would not be too bad.  But we are not talking about a trip in a car, we are talking about our journey with God.

Hebrews 10:35-36 tells us, "Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

As my wife and I discussed this image of our Christian life as a journey with a couple of friends, we suggested that these verses from 1 Peter 1 and Hebrews 10 give us a couple of solid tips about what to pack for the journey.

First, from 1 Peter 1:18 -  We need to travel with a deep consciousness of God. The question we pursued was How can we begin to purposely develop a God-consciousness, a conscious awareness of the presence of God? We began a discussion that included the Word of God, prayer, singing, music, and, I'll add also - not just, but also - hanging around with people who are on the same journey we are on.

And secondly, from Hebrews 10:35 -  We need to travel with a confident trust in God. The question, of course, was how can we begin to purposely develop a confident trust in God. Our discussion included hanging out with God, getting into His word and learning His ways, recalling and verbalizing the things he has already done for us and in us, developing and expressing a grateful attitude for them, deliberately choosing to believe His word over our circumstances, declaring His word over our lives and situations, keeping the truth of the Word of God before us, building faith by hearing and doing The word of God, and asking others for help when we become discouraged.

What things have helped you to develop a deep consciousness of and confident trust in God?

Are there a couple more things you would like to pack for the journey?

Reality Check

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (Ps 23:1) Not because there is nothing I want. Not because of how I feel. Not because of what I see around me. Not because of who or who not is in my life. Not because of my home, my job, or my friends. Not because of what I am or am not involved in. Not because of my heritage. Not because of where I live, Not because of how much or how little I have in my life. Not because of education or lack there of. Not because of full bank accounts. Not because of family. Not because of what I have or don't have. Not because or health, wealth, or power. Not because of anything I have or don't have of what this world has to offer.  It is because of a higher truth than what I see and experience in the natural realm. I lack nothing because the Lord God Almighty is my Shepherd and none is as capable as Him. So, if I am feeling or sensing a lack, I remind myself of my true reality - The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Peace And Effectiveness

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. (Col 3:15) We are one body and different members of a body cannot war with one another and still function effectively. We are called to and must be at peace with each other in order to interact with each other and in this world in a godly, effective, and fruitful manner. The peace of God is to be the rule in our hearts. We are to pursue and follow peace, but this has nothing to do with letting things slide, not rocking the boat, nor not addressing things that need to be addressed. That is pseudo peace and will not last or produce righteousness.

Sometimes Dancing

Sometimes I dance...

Sometimes I hurt myself or others when I dance...

Sometimes, when I hurt myself or others dancing, I don't want to dance anymore...

Sometimes, even when I've hurt myself or others and quit dancing, I still dance...

Sometimes I dance, even though I have hurt or been hurt. Once you"ve danced with The Dancer, He turns you into a dancer. I dance because I am a dancer...

Being a dancer doesn't make you a good dance partner. Even dancing for the Dancer doesn't make you a good dance partner. Only dancing with the Dancer makes you a good dance partner...

I Don't Want To Leave Disappointed...

Last night I was watching a rerun of  Everybody Loves Raymond. It was an episode where Ray seemed to be having a midlife crisis. The dialogue went something like this:

Ray:  I don't have a vision for my life, I have no goals, there's nothing I want to accomplish...

Debra:  Ray, you have a good job, you're a good writer, you have a good family, you have a home, a wife who loves you, and three great kids. Maybe the reason that you don't have a vision is because you have already accomplished it ... you are living your vision!

Ray:  I have...?      Alright!              Then, this is all there is...?                    I'm dissapointed ...

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Inside of all that are at least semi-emotionally healthy, there is a sense of purpose, a since of destiny, a sense that life is greater than just existing. As a body is greater than the sum of its parts, so living is greater than the length of its years. There's got to be more...

I don't want to leave disappointed.

Instead of waiting for a local church to get it together and then jump onboard, maybe we ought to go ahead and get ourselves together. It's not like each of us doesn't already know what is needed in order to become what we should already be and in reality already are.

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

James 4:17

"Lay down sanitized, mess free Christianity and embrace the kind of undomesticated, primitive faith that chooses sacrifice over compromise, peril over safety, and passion over comfort. That ancient, primal, dangerous faith of Jesus that won't ever choose safety over significance. The kind of faith that will forever ruin you for the ordinary.". Craig -Vineyard Missions Conference.



He Dwells In Us

Jesus is absolutely passionate about loving on the maginalized, the outcasts, the rejected, the poor, the sick, the maimed, and those who exist on the outer fringes of society with no hope for the now or the future ... and He wants to do it through us. We are not very good at it ourselves but He is really good at it through us.

Good Enough To Be Saved

“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.” (Jn 5:28-29)

Some people have the point of view that when you die, if you have lived a good life you will go to heaven and if you have lived a bad life you will go to hell. They could even yank the above Bible verses out of context and make a case for their point of view. However, we’ve only to look at one word in Jn 5:28-29 to get a better understanding of what these verses are really saying.

If we look more fully at the word translated good in verse 29 we will be able to see more of the essential meaning of these verses.

The word does not mean just being good, but of also having the ability to produce much more goodness through that special quality that it possesses. If it were describing soil, the soil would be described as 'good soil’ or fertile soil - soil that has not only great potential to produce but will produce abundantly. It’s soil that gives itself to the purpose of being useful, productive, profitable and dependable. It is soil that produces ‘much fruit.’

If this word were used to describe a fruit tree, the tree would consistently be a very fruitful and healthy tree with fruit that is always big, delicious and juicy. ‘Its fruit would never fail.’

This word does not mean just good, but it means a special kind of good. It is an excellent, distinguished, upright and honorable good that not only has the potential of doing or producing good, but does in fact do just that. It is a good that not only has promise and potential, but also has production and product with quality, quantity, consistency, dependability, and longevity.

Jesus tells his audience not to be amazed as He unfolds His most startling claim of all: “A time is coming when all who are in the their graves will hear his voice and come out-those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

What does it mean to “do good?” This is just a few verses away from where Jesus talks about the gift of eternal life. To “do good,” means to have received eternal life. Only those in whom the life of God is dwelling can “do good.” Those who have obeyed His word, walked in fellowship with Him, and shared His life are the ones who have “done good.” At the same time, those who have “done evil” are those who have refused His life, who have turned their backs on the truth. Even if they think of themselves as “good people” who do “good works,” they will come forth to the “resurrection of judgment” if they have not received the free gift of eternal life in Christ. (Ray Stedman)

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (Jn 5:30)

“In this passage,” writes Stedman “Jesus gives us a final reassuring testimony to the fact that even though we must all die and meet our final destiny, Jesus will do what is right and just. Jesus holds our destiny in His hands…Will He be our Savior-or our Judge?”