Journey Series, "Open Arms" - Part 1

There isn't a better story in all the Bible that depicts this truth like the parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11. It's interesting that this story is really the journey of two brothers.

The younger brother asked for his inheritance (which according to the custom of that day, he was allowed to do) and squandered it. His journey reveals three things to me:

The younger brother had...

1. Empty finances
2. Empty stomach
3. Empty soul

The empty finances represent the times we squander God's blessings in our own lives. So always try to give God his portion (10%) and then pay yourself a portion (10%). Then you will be prepared for the lean times.

His empty stomach brought him to the point of hanging out with pigs and even considering eating with them. This shows the depth of his hunger and desperation. No good Jewish boy would be caught dead around pigs who were considered unclean. When you make a bad decision, don't blame God for it. The choices you make now are always outcomes later.

And his empty soul is obvious. Scripture says, "he came to his senses... I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you'" (vv. 17,18). He realized that everything he needed was right there before him all the time. Everything he ever needed was at home with his father.

Is it time to go home and back to your Heavenly Father? You will find Him welcoming you with "Open Arms" (v. 20).

Journey Series- "Don't Stop Believing"

When we begin our spiritual journey, we are usually filled with a desire to do great things for God. We have a dream in our heart. However, the journey can get long. And potholes, roadblocks and detours can distract us from our original God given dream journey.

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV), tells us that "where there is no vision, the people perish." In other words, when dreams die, we die. In Scripture, Joseph is called The Dreamer. And after receiving his God given dream, his brothers hated him and couldn't even speak a "kind word to him" (Gen. 37:4).

His brothers threw him into a pit and sold him into slavery. Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him and lied about him. He is arrested, thrown into prison, and finally brought before Pharaoh to interpret a dream. According to Scripture, he was 17 yrs old when he received his dream (Gen. 37:1). And he is made prime minister over all of Egypt when he is 30 yrs old (Gen. 41:46). And finally after seven years of prosperity and seven years of famine, Joseph's dream is fulfilled.

Joseph carried his dream for 27 years.

Here is the dream dilemma: Do you give up or go on? Do you stop believing when things don't seemingly work out or don't appear to be headed in the right direction toward fulfillment, or do you continue to "press on toward the mark of the high calling?"

Don't stop believing in your dream no matter how long it's been. The God who gave it to you is the same God who will bring it about. What dream have you stopped believing for? What have you lost hope about in your life? It may take a long time for it to be realized, but it will come to pass if you stay faithful.

Journey Series- Faithfully

Maybe you remember the Journey song, "Faithfully" from your high school days, like I do. It was one of those songs some people slowed danced to. Actually, no one really danced--they just kind of stood there, right?

We used this song as a starter for part 1 of our series called Journey: Where Are You Going? As we explore our spiritual life journey, we see some important elements arise for us.

First, we have to look at the life of Moses. God asked Moses to join Him on Mt. Sinai. There Moses receives the 10 Commandments. He comes down the mountain and the people are worshiping a golden calf. After a rebuke and a time of repentance, the people of God are ready to journey towards the Promise Land. God lays it all out for Moses, but tells him that He won't go because they "have sinned and they are stiff necked."

Moses replies by saying, "If I have found favor with you, then go with us." To which God says, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end" (Ex. 33:14, Message).

I find great assurance and rest in this verse. Every time we go to God, whether we have made a mistake or not, once we have repented, He will see us through our life's journey. That's why Scripture states, "The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord" (Ps. 37:23). He will never leave you, nor forsake you.

The suffix "fully" means "full of." So faith-fully is literally "full of faith." God is faithful and unchanging. He will do His part. But we are prone to wonder and have our ups and downs spiritually. So we must do everything possible to develop our faith in the Lord and be found faithful.

In Numbers 33:1-50, Scripture records the different stages the Israelites had to journey through in order to reach the promise land. Depending on how you count, there are 41 or 43 different stages in their journey. Here are my take-a-ways from that passage:

1. God wanted the different stages written down showing how important it is to journal through the journey.

2. God didn't tell the Israelites the entire journey up front because they would have become overwhelmed at the length and the difficulties related to such a journey.

3. God speaks to them one stage at a time making it simple for them to be faithful. Verse 5 says, "The Israelites left Ramses and camped at Succoth."

I believe God is telling you to be faithful right where you are now. Don't worry about the entire journey or all the possible problems. Everyone wants to do something big for God and sometimes wait until something big comes along. God is simply saying, "Leave Ramses and go to Succoth." Be faithful in the little and don't despise small beginnings. You never know what God is building in you for the future.