What is your destination?

I wonder what comes to mind by way of an answer to this question.  Maybe your first thought is to try to figure out where I am coming from in posing it, or perhaps you have a sense of purpose such that you are very conscious of a particular target that you are aiming for now – an aspiration or qualification, or a new job, etc.   

The journey

Thinking about objectives on my walk this morning, I realised that the journey is at least as important as the destination.  We tend to be very destination-focused, our sense of achievement being dependent upon reaching goals.  But in the spiritual realm at least, the journey itself is hugely important, preparing us for when we reach the destination.  It may be that your instinct was to answer the question about your destination by saying that it is heaven.  This, of course, is the eventual destination for everyone who has been born again of the Spirit of God, and we certainly need to be mindful of that. 

Heaven

Some see salvation as a ticket to heaven, like a ‘Get out of hell free’ card; something to be pulled out of a pocket when the time comes.  They might even try to take steps in an attempt to ensure that everything is in order when they do so; that they will be seen as worthy if challenged, perhaps.   There is a sense in which we should be mindful of our eventual destination, but we must also recognise that the intention is that our arrival will be the culmination of a journey.  How sad would it be if, when we eventually find ourselves in God’s presence, he has previously been for us no more than an occasional acquaintance?  For all who are granted time between our salvation and promotion to glory, we have the opportunity to come to a more intimate and deeper relationship with God.  The apostle Paul wrote:

“And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from one degree of glory to even more glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 – Amplified version). 

We should certainly nurture our relationship with God as we progress on life’s journey.

The route

But there is another journey that we need to think about.  This is the route to our being able to fulfil God’s purpose for our lives now.  I don’t believe that such a purpose is only for some ‘special’ people – those who are called to particular types of Christian ministry or service.  He has a purpose for each and every person whom he calls to himself – see Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 4:10. 

If you are a born-again Christian, then God has chosen you specifically, and will gift you so that you can serve him – in doing so, he has a particular area of ministry for you to fulfil.  This may not necessarily be something that we readily identify as spiritual work, but if it is his calling upon your life, then, by definition, it surely must be a spiritual calling.  The thing is that, having called us, he will also equip us.  Yes, this will entail Holy Spirit gifting, but it will also involve preparing us through life’s experiences.  We don’t minister in a vacuum; hence, the journey.  The ministry that God calls us to might be viewed as the destination, but there is a route to be followed before we reach the point where we can be most useful.  Of course, we can be of use whilst still on route, but it is only once preparation is complete that we will be fully fit to serve.

Preparation

Someone might ask what this preparation looks like.  Most importantly, it will involve getting to know God better and becoming ever more familiar with the Bible generally.  These are essentials for our usefulness in the Kingdom.  It will involve receiving whatever gifts of the Holy Spirit are needed to equip us for the calling that God has placed upon our lives.  But it will also involve gaining Christian life experience; learning God’s ways, learning from our mistakes and from those of others.  It will probably entail discovering how to discern what is of the Holy Spirit and what is of the flesh (a very important lesson).  Preparation may well involve suffering for the gospel, and will surely include being judged and mistreated, including from those who claim to be, and perhaps are, Christians.  If we are to be useful in the Kingdom, then we cannot be conformists, neither to the ways of the world, to any religious institution, nor to any human personality.  To be useful to God, we need to comply with his standards and his alone.

The writer to the Hebrews emphasises preparation in Hebrews 12:7-11, outlining how God is in the business of training us, concluding in verses 10 & 11 with:

“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Investment

You might feel a sense of frustration while on the journey, wishing that you could get stuck into a particular ministry that is on your heart.  But be encouraged because whilst in the time of preparation, God is investing in you.  During my working life, I was sent on many different courses that were intended to enhance my understanding or effectiveness.  I wasn’t enthusiastic about every one of these, but I recognised that whilst my employers were investing in me, hoping to gain benefit from this, it was I who owned the training once it had been delivered; what I received would stay with me when the time came to leave their employ.  We never get to leave God’s employment, of course.  Even upon our death, we will take with us into eternity the person who we are and what we have become.  I firmly believe that God has a purpose for us, then, even more than now; our time on earth is itself a preparation for our future in heaven.

Purpose

There is one last thing to consider.  God knows us and loves us, and has a purpose for us to fulfil.  If we try to figure out what this is for ourselves, then we will struggle.  This is a door that we need to trust Him to open for us – his purpose, his timing, his calling.  We may think that we should be doing something other than what God has planned …. that would be a big mistake!  It may also be that God has something for us to do now, but another calling upon our lives for some point in the future.  Faithfulness entails doing now what God shows us, and trusting him for the future.  In Luke 2:19, we read in the nativity narrative that, after the visit of the shepherds and hearing from them what the angel had said about her baby, Jesus, Mary “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart”.  We may have a sense of calling upon our lives, which we must hold onto for the future, but at the same time, we need to get on with what God has called us to do now – potentially something that will turn out to be preparatory for a later area of ministry.