Pursuing Our Destiny (Part 3)
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1&2, ESV).
When I was a kid, most gas stations had road maps, and they were usually free. When I saw one I didn’t have, I’d ask my Dad to get it for me. I had a collection of state, regional, and national road maps, and I loved opening them out on the living room floor, imagining all the places I could go and what route I would take to each of them. Later, as an adult, I would regularly buy the latest Rand McNally road atlas; the most current one stayed in the car, and earlier editions found homes in my home and office.
With the arrival of Internet sites like MapQuest and Google Maps, in-dash or after-market GPS devices, and all things electronic, paper maps seem to have lost their allure. While I use the electronic stuff, I still have a Rand McNally road atlas in the car. It’s an older one, though. I don’t upgrade paper as often as I do the digital devices.
Road maps to get from point A to point B are useful for travel. But, they aren’t the only maps necessary for our human journey. Those who walk with Jesus, those who pursue their destiny as living icons of Jesus, also need a map. God has given it to us; it’s called the Word of God.
The verses I used to begin this piece inform us that God’s Word is a map that protects those who pay attention from the detours that destroy lives—the way of sinners, the seats of the scornful, and the counsel of the ungodly. In another psalm, we are told that while thinking about his journey, the psalmist was informed by God’s Word and turned his feet (changed direction) toward God’s testimonies (Ps. 119:59). The road atlas that is God’s Word gave the psalmist direction for his journey.
I’ve invited you to think with me about your God-defined destiny based on Romans 8:29: For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Pursuing that destiny without a road map is like deciding to travel to unknown places without directions. Just like we have optional devices/tools to get us to our travel destination, we have many practices/disciplines to help us become like Jesus. Some are optional; others are necessities. Regular time in God’s Word is, in my opinion, the most essential necessity.
Last week, I asked those sharing the journey with me to think about Romans 12:2. We pursue our destiny, our true self, by choosing to resist conforming to the world and by pursuing transformation through the renewing of our minds. God’s Word is the primary agent in that transformation process. – Pastor John Strain recently retired from full-time ministry as Senior Pastor First Baptist Toms River
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 19-21; Matthew 15:21-39
Quote of the day: There is a fundamental sense in which evil is not something that can be made sense of. The essence of evil is that it is something which is absurd, bizarre and irrational. It is the nature of evil to be inexplicable, an enigma and a stupidity. Nigel Wright
Bible Memory: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:103-104
Freedom Fighters 