Journeys III

Be prepared. Baden Powell coined the phrase as the motto of the Scouts, but it holds true for any trip you go on, as well as for the Christian life. Be prepared. It means you make sure you’re ready to go, you take sustenance with you and you prepare for bad weather.

Jesus was pretty clear that once you started on this journey with him there wasn’t any going back (Luke 9:57-62). Being ready to go means that you are ready to see it through ‘till the end. And part of our preparation must surely involve realising that this journey with Jesus is the only one that makes sense – where else have we to go, when only He has the words of eternal life?

And on that journey he provides the sustenance – his own Spirit who comforts (Jn 16:7) and crys out (Rom 8:15-17) and his Scriptures which teach, correct, rebuke, and train us in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). He has also provided us with his church, our family, who walk with us, as well as those who have walked before us, and speak to us from our shelves.

And be ready for bad weather. Anyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12) and face trials (1 Peter 1:6ff), but we take heart for God is sovereign, and protects us from what we cannot bear (1 Cor 10:13).