Pastor’s Corner: “Final Destination”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV) – 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
It has been thirty two years since Ally and I have lived in the Seattle area, so this week travelling in the region where we grew up was much different than we remember. While there were some things that were familiar, for the most part we would have been desperately lost without our GPS. Whenever we got into our rental car, we would punch in the address of our desired location and off we would go. We would trust that the directions we were following would get us to our destination, even if we did not recognize where we were.
Many people today cannot begin a journey without consulting their GPS—their global positioning system. In fact, electronic devices are quickly becoming a necessity in some people’s lives. Most of us will use our GPS even in areas that we are familiar with.
While we are very mindful of our destination while traveling here on earth, many of us live our lives lost spiritually without keeping our final destination in mind. We may not be lost in an unfamiliar city, but we are lost in life. Discouragement and undesired circumstances may have derailed our approach to God and His plans for our lives. Maybe we have grown impatient with God and have chosen to follow our own directions not to unlike the Hebrews in Exodus. Numbers 21:4 (NIV) – 4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way. Blindly pressing on in life only leads to dead ends. Humility is always the first step to deliverance. The first step to finding your way home is to admit you’re lost and Ask for directions!
In these times, we should focus our spiritual eyes to help us arrive at our desired destination. Jesus tells us to “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). This is His invitation to us. Set your hearts on your home. In His plan it’s all about the King and His kingdom. He wrote the script, built the sets, directs the actors, and knows the final act — an everlasting kingdom. And this is [God’s] plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ — everything in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:10 NLT). Reach for it! God… has planted eternity in the human heart- Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT.
Keep your destination in mind and stay close to God…..do not wander off! I read a story this week that I think is appropriate: When a couple’s firstborn child was about four, they decided to lose him in the department store. Yes, you read that correctly, but let me offer more explanation as to why they intentionally did that. While he was young, they wanted to help him learn to follow them closely in public places so he wouldn’t get lost. Like most children, he would often run away from them when he saw a toy character on the store shelf. The power of those toys to capture his attention was irresistible! One shopping trip, when he stopped to examine bed sheets that had his favorite cartoon character on them, they decided to hide around the corner from him. When he looked up from the sheets, they were nowhere in sight … at least not from his perspective. They had disappeared! His eyes welled up with tears as he stood there, stuck in his spot, not knowing what to do. About 30 seconds later, the father swooped in and picked him up and said, “we have been watching you the whole time – we were just around the corner – we never left you, but this is a big store, and you need to keep your eyes on us so you won’t get lost.”
We also have a heavenly Father who guides us through this big life. There are many distractions along the way — shiny objects that vie for our affection and attention. It’s easy to take our eyes off Jesus, to wander, to get lost. We ask questions like “Where are You, God?” and “How could You abandon me?” Maybe you feel far away from God right now or like you’ve hit a spiritual ceiling you can’t grow past. Human hearts are prone to wander, but God’s heart is always toward you. You are never alone or abandoned. As we pivot away from worthless things and turn our eyes toward Jesus, we discover He’s been waiting for us all along. Keep your eyes on the destination and you will not get lost!
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton