Encouragement
What’s Your Journey?
By Robert Schaetzle
Some time ago during one of my quiet times with our Lord, I began thinking of this year, and what it is that I want to accomplish. I began asking God, “What is it you have for me that I should be focusing on?
Even in responsibilities to my family, ministry, job personal interests?. The question
remains.. ‘What is my Journey?’ What is your journey?
In Mathew His admonition for us is, ‘To seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, then all those [other things] will be added to us. But what does that mean? How do we define what His Kingdom is all about?
In Mark’s gospel chapter 10: 28-30 [NASB] we see a hint of what He’s asking from us. Let’s read what it says. ‘Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything to follow you.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospels sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Of all my wonderful blessings, I’ve come to know the value of fellowship and building strong relationships with other believers in the family of God. Even more than those of my own family at times.
But the question remains,‘What is your journey, what is my journey?’ I can visualize many goals I want to attain this coming year, but are they necessarily God’s intent?
We’re always to be mindful, there’s nothing under heaven that He’s not in control of. This truth is reaffirmed over and over again throughout scripture.
Proverbs 20:27, ‘The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all his innermost parts.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:57, ‘But thanks be to God, [emphasis mine] who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Still, the question remains, ‘How do we get there?’ How will we identify the victory when we’re still seeking the challenge?
Over the years I’ve found greater need for more time spent with the Savior. Not out of compulsion, but rather, because I want to know Him better, and the better acquainted I get with the Father, the greater I see His vision.
How often do you hear it said, “If you want to get to know someone well you have to spend time with them.” As I shared above we fellowship much with believers, but how much do we fellowship intimately with our Maker? My time spent each day with the Father in prayer has become first and foremost in developing intimacy and has brought greater joy with my Savior.
The more time spent with the Father in prayer will help us mature into what the Apostle Paul felt in his own dependency when he wrote to the Church at Philippi, ‘not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.’[Philippians 3:9 NASB]
Do you ever realize how much of Jesus’ waking hours were spent in listening?, Listening to the plea’s of those He healed, listening to all the questions of His Chosen apostles. But I think He spent most of His time listening to the Father.
Time and time again throughout our Lord’s ministry with His Apostles we’ll read when Jesus left the crowds and went into a secluded place away from the crowds, to spend time alone with the Father. How much we too, need much time alone with the Father. In doing such, we’ll gain greater self discipline to want to lean on Him more and less on our own human reasoning. For us it’s learning to decrease as we desire more increase of of Him, discerning what and where our journey might take us.
We have many new opportunities and new journeys waiting for us this coming year. But we must seek and be sensitive to listen to His prompting and caring enough to hear Him calling.
Something else vital to our listening is never to doubt.
Our Lord told His apostles, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” [Luke 11:24]
What are the consequences of living in doubt? It affects our relationship with God such that, we cannot fully obey a God we doubt. It hinders our service to God, and becomes devastating to doing our best for God. Often, I think most of the unfulfilled journeys are because of doubt. All that can lead to discouragement, such that we miss out on the best of blessing from God.
I’m often encouraged from Joshua 1:9, ‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous; be not frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’
Yes, we can be certain, the Lord our God is going before us in our journey, but allow Him to navigate the route by seeking Him more.
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