The Pastor’s Blog – I FEEL LIKE TRAVELING ON!
I must confess that I am getting excited for the trip!
Next week, my wife and I will be driving up the beautiful Alaska Highway to Whitehorse, Yukon in this cute little motorhome. We have driven this highway before, but Lise was not excited at that time because we were tenting our way through bear country. She is not excited about sharing her tent with a bear! This time she has solid walls all around her. She feels safe.
On this journey called life, there are times when we do not feel safe – when pandemics break out, when storms bring down trees and floods wash out our roads. When the doctor says she found something suspicious in the scan, or your boss hands you a note that says your job has become obsolete, we feel quite insecure. Some people get so frightened they simply want to give up. Some will lock themselves in their homes; others will lock themselves up emotionally. Some hide in addiction, others bring harm to the people around them.
Early in my life, my parents introduced me to the very best guide for life. His name is Jesus.
In Hebrews 12:2, we read, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” Jesus is the reason there is a Christian faith – since it is all about following Him – and He is the one who will lead us to the end of our journey. The book of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus has suffered as we have suffered, has faced the same challenges of life we have faced, even faced the death of loved ones.
In Hebrews 2:10, Jesus is called the pioneer, the one who goes first and makes sure the way is safe. That is exactly why Jesus left heaven and walked this earth for a season as fully man and fully God. The way was not easy, it was not without suffering, but Jesus proved that it is possible to live in this life in a way that makes an eternity with God in His heaven possible. We cannot make the journey alone, and without Jesus to protect and guide us it is not safe, but Jesus promises never to leave us or forsake us. So…
“My heavenly home is bright and fair; I feel like traveling on!”
How about you?
– Pastor Gary