07/30/2022
We profess our faith in Jesus Christ, fall to our knees as we ask Him to be the center of our life, and pledge to follow His commandments and instruction. On that first day when we said that we would faithfully follow Him, did we really know where that would take us, and where we were going? Reading scripture and commentaries is like packing our luggage with the necessities we would need for a journey to anywhere, but before we can select suitable clothing for the trip, we must know where it is that we believe we are going; so today let’s each begin by asking ourselves some questions… do I know where Jesus is taking me? Have I asked the Lord where our final destination is to be, and am I prepared to trust in Him enough to leave my luggage and clothing behind, and to simply shoulder my cross, and begin the journey that He is leading me on?
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?””
John 14:5 ESV
If we ask Jesus where we are going, He might give us our destination for that day, but every step of the way will require self-sacrifice, and deep faith, because his answer will be “follow me”. We might think we are prepared for what we will face, but every day is new, and we will walk it with our cross across our shoulder, and an unknown road before us… a road we have never walked before.
“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 ESV
Yet we are human and want to know more; just being asked to blindly follow Jesus often requires more trust than we have, and so we ask Him time and again… “Where are we going?” We want to know where we are going, how we will know when we have arrived, and how long we will travel before we reach our destination? Isn’t this true? But Jesus always tells us to simply follow Him, to come with Him, and that we will see once we reach our destination.
“Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”
John 1:38-39 ESV
My wife and I are preparing to take a trip overseas, and it is the first long trip to an unknown part of the world that we have ever made together. So we have planned, and selected the things we want to do when we arrive, and how we will proceed along the way. We know our destinations, and where we will be going each day, staying each night, and every detail that we can gather, but when it comes to faith, and the journey we take with Jesus none of this is known, and we must take our trip to unknown places by simply following Him, and trusting in His guidance, and provision. This is how we are to take each step of the way. As human beings this kind of blind trust is contrary to our nature, and feels dangerous and frightening to us. Just walking out the front door of our house and going to “God only knows where” requires a trust in Jesus that we will struggle to sustain with every step we take… but it will also grow us in amazing ways.
“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:27-28, 33 ESV
The journeys of faith that we set out upon, and the towers we want to build for ourselves are contrary to one another. The journeys are based on a living and growing faith in God that is ever moving forward, but the towers we build are of stone, are deliberate, and they are meant to root us in one place. So rather than asking questions like “Where are we going?” We should simply say “Here I am Lord!” Can we bring ourselves to say this, or will we remain rooted within our tower, our home, and never journey forth to answer God’s call? Can we step out in faith?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the unknown places we will see as we travel with your son Jesus today, and for your glory that we will experience there. Thank you for preparing us with your Word, and giving us your Holy Spirit to keep it in the forefront of our thoughts, and prayers. Grow us continuously in our faith, and witness in us a trust in you that is strong, and unwavering. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who loves us without fail, and whose Son leads us daily by our hand into your presence. Praised be your name for every new experience we have as we journey home to you, and for the fears of the unknown that we overcome along the way. Merciful are you who knows the fixed and fallen nature of our humanness, and transforms it into an ever increasing spiritual perfection in Jesus Christ. Your grace and Holy Spirit having now been poured out upon us, we find that they encourage us in our faith, and as we carry our crosses to Calvary… following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus. Wash us in His blood Father, and having thus cleansed us of sin, perfect us as we abide in Him, and He in us. Call us your children, and at the culmination of our journey home, seat us at your table forevermore… there to spend eternity praising you, worshipping you, loving you, and surrounded by your peace and joy always.
““Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.””
John 14:1-7 ESV
Rich Forbes