Most of you know that I am an avid bicyclist, who has ridden as much as 1200 miles in a year…but that was ten years ago. Some of you may also know that I am a big admirer of Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark, and have been a student of explorations of the Corps of Discovery for many years. One of these days, hopefully, I am going to combine those two interests, and ride the trail advertised on the back of this (Adventure Cycling, Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail) t-shirt, perhaps even with some of you along on the trip. I already have the maps, the trail guides, and, of course, the bikes. It will be a journey; a journey of discovery. And it will be a journey I take only if it is God’s plan for me to do so.
A few weeks ago, I started thinking about the journey that God has set us on, the journey that has, among other things, brought us here to New Life! Each one of us is on a journey like that. God has a plan for us, and part of our journey as Christians is to discover and follow that plan, so that we can, as scripture states, have life more abundantly.
This month, the theme of my daily devotions has been that of “pilgrimage”. To an extent, we are all pilgrims on a journey, but where is that journey taking us? Do we know where we are going? Do we know if we are even on the right path? We can know. We can know what God’s plan is for us. God has given us a map, a guidebook and he has even sent us guides to lead the way!
Probably my absolute favorite devotional book is Dr. Larry Christenson’s “Ride the River” of which I recently gave Pastor Jeff a copy, and I hope to use for a bible study here, this fall. Using the journey of Lewis and Clark as a modern-day parable, Dr. Christenson, one of the early leaders in the Lutheran Renewal community, shows how we can know and follow God’s will for our lives; how we can “ride the river” to the destination God has planned for each of us.
Using the relationship between Lewis and Clark and President Thomas Jefferson, and also their command of the Corps of Discovery as a model, we can know that God has a special, specific plan for each believer’s life’s journey. When Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase, he gave them very specific instructions: “The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by its course & communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean as may offer the most direct & practicable water route across this continent, for the purposes of commerce,” God’s instructions to us are no less specific. We are to explore, map and follow the unexplored territory that God has set before each of us. Just as Thomas Jefferson paid 15-million dollars for the unexplored Louisiana territory, God has paid for our “unexplored territory” our lives, with the precious blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
One of the remarkable things about Lewis and Clark’s command, was the fact that they functioned, possibly for the only time in military history, completely equally, as co-commanders. Essentially, the expedition could not have succeeded without the two of them. Where Lewis had weaknesses, Clark was strong, and vice-versa. (Although both of them were HORRIBLE spellers! Clark, for example, spelled “mosquito” 23 different ways in his journals, none of them correct.)
Similarly, God the Father, our “commander-in-chief,” has given us two Captains, co-commanders to lead our journey, in the persons of His only Son, Jesus Christ, and after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit. In our case, our Captains, like Lewis and Clark, are to lead us to a known destination by a known, but uncharted way.
Dr. Christenson states, the Christian life is, from beginning to end, a journey of discovery:
The destination is known. The Bible calls it the Kingdom of Heaven, or eternal life.
The route is certain: It is the river of God’s will, the life plan that God has for you.
The way is not yet charted: Every day you push forward into the unexplored territory of God’s plan for your life.
If someone asks you, “What is the purpose of your life?” many of us would answer, “To do the will of God.” It is a good, all-encompassing answer, but it begs to ask the additional question, “How?”
When you “ride the river”, or in other words, become a disciple of Christ, your understanding of God’s will has to move beyond generalities. It has to become specific to your life; to your journey. God shows us in Scripture, a general plan for believer’s lives, but it is through prayer, discipleship and application of God’s Word that we move into discovering and knowing His plan for our journey.
Your life belongs to God. He purchased it. When you live life according to God’s will, you become part of God’s kingdom on earth. As you grow in God’s will, you establish a relationship with God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As that relationship grows, God’s plan for you becomes more apparent. As you follow that specific plan, for you, focusing on the name, the kingdom, the Word and the will of the Father, everything falls into place, and you can perceive what the next step is. The psalmist does say, “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Ps. 119; 105
As disciples, we are not to quest for the things of this world. We are not looking for wealth, comfort, fame or fortune. If that is part of God’s plan for you, that’s fine, but we should be seeking first, the kingdom of God. We don’t wander aimlessly. We can not give up when things get tough. We follow our heavenly co-Captains, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, because we have been purchased by God.
When you are on your journey with God, you must learn to follow the Captains, and not waiver. There are temptations, other paths we could follow, some of which may look easier than the one we are on. Although we are called to make disciples, we must take care not to try and drag others on our journey, but rather teach them the way to find the will of God in their life. This is
the adventure of a lifetime, and it is natural to want others to journey with us. But just as Jesus admonished Peter, when Peter asked about God’s plan for John, in John 21; 18-22, the journey that each of is on is different. Each of us is to follow where He leads us, specifically.
Lewis and William Clark, and have been a student of explorations of the Corps of Discovery for many years. One of these days, hopefully, I am going to combine those two interests, and ride the trail advertised on the back of this (Adventure Cycling, Lewis and Clark Bicycle Trail) t-shirt, perhaps even with some of you along on the trip. I already have the maps, the trail guides, and, of course, the bikes. It will be a journey; a journey of discovery. And it will be a journey I take only if it is God’s plan for me to do so.A few weeks ago, I started thinking about the journey that God has set us on, the journey that has, among other things, brought us here to New Life! Each one of us is on a journey like that. God has a plan for us, and part of our journey as Christians is to discover and follow that plan, so that we can, as scripture states, have life more abundantly.
This month, the theme of my daily devotions has been that of “pilgrimage”. To an extent, we are all pilgrims on a journey, but where is that journey taking us? Do we know where we are going? Do we know if we are even on the right path? We can know. We can know what God’s plan is for us. God has given us a map, a guidebook and he has even sent us guides to lead the way!
Probably my absolute favorite devotional book is Dr. Larry Christenson’s “Ride the River” of which I recently gave Pastor Jeff a copy, and I hope to use for a bible study here, this fall. Using the journey of Lewis and Clark as a modern-day parable, Dr. Christenson, one of the early leaders in the Lutheran Renewal community, shows how we can know and follow God’s will for our lives; how we can “ride the river” to the destination God has planned for each of us.
Using the relationship between Lewis and Clark and President Thomas Jefferson, and also their command of the Corps of Discovery as a model, we can know that God has a special, specific plan for each believer’s life’s journey. When Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Purchase, he gave them very specific instructions: “The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by its course & communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean as may offer the most direct & practicable water route across this continent, for the purposes of commerce,” God’s instructions to us are no less specific. We are to explore, map and follow the unexplored territory that God has set before each of us. Just as Thomas Jefferson paid 15-million dollars for the unexplored Louisiana territory, God has paid for our “unexplored territory” our lives, with the precious blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
One of the remarkable things about Lewis and Clark’s command, was the fact that they functioned, possibly for the only time in military history, completely equally, as co-commanders. Essentially, the expedition could not have succeeded without the two of them. Where Lewis had weaknesses, Clark was strong, and vice-versa. (Although both of them were HORRIBLE spellers! Clark, for example, spelled “mosquito” 23 different ways in his journals, none of them correct.)Similarly, God the Father, our “commander-in-chief,” has given us two Captains, co-commanders to lead our journey, in the persons of His only Son, Jesus Christ, and after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit. In our case, our Captains, like Lewis and Clark, are to lead us to a known destination by a known, but uncharted way.
Dr. Christenson states, the Christian life is, from beginning to end, a journey of discovery:
The destination is known. The Bible calls it the Kingdom of Heaven, or eternal life.
The route is certain: It is the river of God’s will, the life plan that God has for you.
The way is not yet charted: Every day you push forward into the unexplored territory of God’s plan for your life.
If someone asks you, “What is the purpose of your life?” many of us would answer, “To do the will of God.” It is a good, all-encompassing answer, but it begs to ask the additional question, “How?”
When you “ride the river”, or in other words, become a disciple of Christ, your understanding of God’s will has to move beyond generalities. It has to become specific to your life; to your journey. God shows us in Scripture, a general plan for believer’s lives, but it is through prayer, discipleship and application of God’s Word that we move into discovering and knowing His plan for our journey.
Your life belongs to God. He purchased it. When you live life according to God’s will, you become part of God’s kingdom on earth. As you grow in God’s will, you establish a relationship with God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As that relationship grows, God’s plan for you becomes more apparent. As you follow that specific plan, for you, focusing on the name, the kingdom, the Word and the will of the Father, everything falls into place, and you can perceive what the next step is. The psalmist does say, “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Ps. 119; 105
As disciples, we are not to quest for the things of this world. We are not looking for wealth, comfort, fame or fortune. If that is part of God’s plan for you, that’s fine, but we should be seeking first, the kingdom of God. We don’t wander aimlessly. We can not give up when things get tough. We follow our heavenly co-Captains, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, because we have been purchased by God.
When you are on your journey with God, you must learn to follow the Captains, and not waiver. There are temptations, other paths we could follow, some of which may look easier than the one we are on. Although we are called to make disciples, we must take care not to try and drag others on our journey, but rather teach them the way to find the will of God in their life. This is
the adventure of a lifetime, and it is natural to want others to journey with us. But just as Jesus admonished Peter, when Peter asked about God’s plan for John, in John 21; 18-22, the journey that each of is on is different. Each of us is to follow where He leads us, specifically.The journey may not be an easy one. As in any adventure, there are hardships and there are defeats. There are battles and there are victories. To put it back in cycling terms, there is rain, there is the wind in your face and there are hills to climb. But there are beautiful vistas from the summit of those hills, and they are always followed by a downhill on the other side. We can only get part way up that hill by our own strength. In order for the journey to succeed, we have to yield our will, and let the Captains. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, take the lead.
With their leading...
We proceeded on.
Two-Wheeled Explorer
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