A Christmas Journey You May Not Have Considered

journey

The Christmas season is notorious for traffic and travel. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, many people will travel great distances to celebrate with loved ones. The highways will be clogged with travellers, any of which will NOT be exhibiting the joy of the season. Hopefully for you, all of the going will be worthwhile as it results in great times with your loved ones. I know that will be the case for us.

The first Christmas was noted for its travellers as well. Mary and Joseph travelled about 80 miles in a journey that probably took them anywhere from a week to 10 days; a journey made even more complicated when traversed with and by a pregnant young woman. Magi travelled from the East – probably somewhere in the Persian Empire – to pay homage to a newborn King. Even shepherds temporarily went AWOL and travelled into nearby Bethlehem to confirm the news delivered to them by angels who had travelled from heaven.

Your Christmas Journey

The advent of the Giver of Life set many to travelling literally, but metaphorically, once He gives us life, the travelling has just begun. This life He gives us is quite a journey! We should all be travelling spiritually – moving closer to Him each day. God has called us to Himself so He can transform us into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29), and that transformation can be understood in terms of a journey. Once God begins a work in our life, He promises to FINISH it (Philippians 1:6)

Where are you in your spiritual journey? Have you begun to walk with Jesus? If not, the reason He came was to die for your sins so you could be forgiven and have a relationship with God. You can learn more about that by following this link to The Story.

Are you learning more and growing closer to the Lord each day or have you stalled along the way in your spiritual journey? Have you detoured or even taken a few steps backwards? Just as every trip needs a route plan, so also we need an intentional plan to grow.

This Christmas begin or resume your spiritual journey by intentionally and regularly studying God’s Word and praying.   Make an intentional effort EACH DAY to move a little closer to the Lord. You can find some helpful hints by clicking here. Next year, may Christmas of 2023 find you so much closer to the Lord than you are this year.

Thoughts Upon Turning 50

So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12

I want to share with you a few thoughts that captured my heart as I considered my 18,262 days (that’s 50 years plus 12 leap days) on my birthday.

The prominent theme that I have come to grasp over these last 6 weeks or so is that life is not about me, it’s about God and His plan for His creation. If all we ever do is consider our circumstances in light of their bearing on us, we really miss the grandeur of God’s glory as He includes us in His purposes for now and eternity.

A second truth I pondered today is that life is all about the journey… the walk. Enoch lives 365 days. I think that is significant since it is one year for each day of our year. To me, that signifies that he lived a FULL life, and the Bible says about Him that he had a testimony that He walked with God. I’ve experienced a lot of ups and downs in my 18,262 days, but God has walked with me every step of the way, often carrying me. I grow closer to Him because the journey has so many challenging turns. When I started this blog in the summer of last year, I was inspired by Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “The Long Way Home” (video below). That’s what this life is, a journey on the way to eternity.

A final truth I have pondered today is that God is not finished with me yet. They call us 50-somethings “middle aged.” I guess that means I have somewhere around another 18,000 days to go? Whatever. I do know that I have more passion for ministry now than ever. I sense the urgency of our time and I have a longing in my soul to make a difference for Jesus in the days that I have left.

No matter your age, if you have surrendered your life to Jesus and become His follower, life isn’t about you. Let me encourage you to begin to view your days as opportunities for God to include and involve you in HIS plan for HIS creation. Count your days so that your days will count…for HIS GLORY.