“Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
    whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baka,
    they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
 They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.”

 

Psalm 84:5-7


Like water running from a stream to the sea, our lives on this earth are constantly in motion. Take a moment to look back at your life and you will see how far you have come, and yet the journey continues. We have definitely grown in stature and maturity, but have we grown in faith, patience and love?

 

It is only when we know that Heaven is our eternal home that the spiritual strength comes to go through every trial of life and come out stronger. As a child of God, life on this earth is a pilgrimage – where we honour God in each mountain and valley and each season of our lives, and we know that the destination is to be with Jesus forever.

 

Which season are you in now? There is a beauty in each season when God is involved. Are you in the wilderness looking for an oasis ? There is a pool of water in each dry land. What is the state of your heart? If your heart is on journey of righteousness , then God will impart to you the strength to overcome your difficult situation because it is often when times are hard that we grow the most in our character. Spiritual growth is a function of our obedience to the Word of God especially in hard times.

 

Ask God for the grace to see your journey through this earth as a pilgrimage, and to honour God in each season, because that is the beauty of this journey to eternity.

GOD FIRST

“Let’s take a lesson from David who was ready to be humiliated in his own eyes, so that God could be honoured. Ask yourself: Where does honouring God appear in your list of priorities? Do you thank Him for all that He has done in your life, all the way long? While men look at the outside, God looks at the motives of the heart. Instead of worrying about the opinion of others concerning you, let the motive of your heart each day be to honour God before yourself.”

THE SACRIFICE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

“There is no time to do what is right. We must set our heart to obey the Word of God, all the time. God’s kind of lifestyle calls us to do what is right in the sight of God at all times, even though it is contrary to what we naturally want to do. Choosing to do what is right is a great test to the flesh.

What is the sacrifice of righteousness? Choosing to do God’s will rather than our own. When our flesh says hate, God says love. It takes sacrificial love to love your enemy and to pray for them. These are the weapons of righteousness. This is the sacrifice that Jesus looks at and rewards. Even though that might not be a grand, or outward sacrifice, it is what Jesus values.”

LIFE ANEW

“When we talk of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are talking of the rare opportunity He has given to all believers to experience a new beginning – a situation in which every dead area of our lives receives life anew.

We are dead to our past and alive to our future. Sin’s power over us is broken and we now put on Christ’s new life: we live in Him, move in Him and have our being in Him. Herein lies the significance of resurrection.”