Interesting Green: Reflection - Spiritual Journey - Ultimate Christian Destination

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Reflection - Spiritual Journey - Ultimate Christian Destination

Source (book): "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, PART I: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, Chapter 1, "Remembering Origins and Destination", Question 2, Page 7.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012

PHOTO: How can a person in their senior years keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight?
There are many who have never thought seriously about their final destination. They are quite happy to fill life with small goals, like what to buy, where to go for a holiday, what car to drive, and what clothes to wear. But these will amount to nothing if the big journey and goal in life are forgotten. The Lord Jesus once told His listeners, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:31-33).

What would be the signs that this is happening (keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight)?
If you have the big purpose in life clear (seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness), all the little goals will fall into place.

What would be difficulties, distractions, and temptations that one may face?
Without the big picture, it is so easy to lose your way. It is possible that some start will, knowing where they are heading, but the pleasures of life, the entertainments along the way, and all the attendant worries and anxieties eventually draw them off their original path. They have lost their way and forgotten their ultimate destination.
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It is easy to forget where we have come from and where we are going in a world that distracts and preoccupies us so easily. A pilot once found that some of the instruments in his plane had suddenly stopped working. He lost his bearings and was not able to tell where he was heading. He managed to contact a control tower on the ground, and when asked to give his position so that they could direct him to the nearest airport, he replied, "I don't know, but wherever I am headed, I am making it in good time!"

PHOTO: It is easy to forget where we have come from and where we are going in a world that distracts and preoccupies us so easily. Although we have speed but we have lost our bearings and are not able to tell where we are heading.
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The pilot knew he had speed, but he had lost his sense of direction. How true this is of so many people today. Life moves quickly, but people have lost their inner direction. They have forgotten where they are headed and what their ultimate end would be. They know how to use their clocks, but what is the point if they have lost their compass? The world is a spiritual wilderness where it is easy to get lost without a moral and spiritual compass to guide us and point us in the right direction.

PHOTO: The world is a spiritual wilderness where it is easy to get lost without a moral and spiritual compass to guide us and point us in the right direction. When we lost our sense of direction, life moves quickly, but we have lost our inner direction. We have forgotten where we are headed and what our ultimate end would be.
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How can a person in their senior years keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight? What would be the signs that this is happening? What would be difficulties, distractions, and temptations that one may face?

How can a person in their senior years keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight?
There are many who have never thought seriously about their final destination. They are quite happy to fill life with small goals, like what to buy, where to go for a holiday, what car to drive, and what clothes to wear. But these will amount to nothing if the big journey and goal in life are forgotten. The Lord Jesus once told His listeners, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:31-33).

PHOTO: How can a person in their senior years keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight?
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:31-33).
Picture posted by LawZam on 21 December 2017
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitMWqG7mabgDYh5qdtItVcjtRCPWwjfmSvs83peGP_G8f-_DbRMIP9Aim05oBkhjFgzU_OwUAwl7hfiq-6TgxR_n9HFwl9wMdnv0lbxUS1hxiNjfsZ98Azzi_rz3Ta4riVJuWnC4wSvSU/s1600/shutterstock_62834728.jpg
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https://www.lawzam.com/blog/legal-technology/where-to-find-a-job-as-a-lawyer-and-how-to-get-employment-as-an-attorney/

What would be the signs that this is happening (keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight)?
If you have the big purpose in life clear (seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness), all the little goals will fall into place.

PHOTO: What would be the signs that this is happening (keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight)?
If we have the big purpose in life clear (seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness), all the little goals will fall into place.
Picture posted by letterofluv on 04 August 2014
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https://www.deviantart.com/letterofluv/art/Dannie-Riel-Angel-472953578

What would be difficulties, distractions, and temptations that one may face?
Without the big picture, it is so easy to lose your way. It is possible that some start will, knowing where they are heading, but the pleasures of life, the entertainments along the way, and all the attendant worries and anxieties eventually draw them off their original path. They have lost their way and forgotten their ultimate destination.

PHOTO: What would be difficulties, distractions, and temptations that one may face?
The pleasures of life, the entertainments along the way, and all the attendant worries and anxieties eventually draw us off their original path.
Painting by Pierre Jean Van der Ouderaa.
Picture posted by patreon.com on 30 April 2019 at 5:00pm - The Temptation of Eve
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There is always hope. If you have lost your way or neglected your ultimate destination, you can always do something about it. Return to God. People are urged to "Give careful thought to your ways" (Haggai 1:5, 7). The runway, so to speak, gets shorter as we age, and we must make sure we know where we will land. We must remember that ageing "is more important as a spiritual than a biological process". [10]

PHOTO: There is always hope. If we have lost our way or neglected our ultimate destination, we can always do something about it. Return to God. However the runway, gets shorter as we age, and we must make sure we know where we will land. We must remember that ageing "is more important as a spiritual than a biological process".
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Jesus taught that our ultimate destination is the heavenly Father's house (John 14:1-3). That ultimate destiny is possible only if we place our faith in Christ and learn to live in Him while we are on earth. May we learn to say with Paul, "I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). This is the only destination that is worth living and dying for, the only one that offers eternal life. All others are dead ends.

PHOTO: Jesus taught that our ultimate destination is the heavenly Father's house (John 14:1-3). That ultimate destiny is possible only if we place our faith in Christ and learn to live in Him while we are on earth. This is the only destination that is worth living and dying for, the only one that offers eternal life. All others are dead ends.
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PHOTO: “Dear Lord, we learned that it is easy to forget where we have come from and where we are going in a world that distracts and preoccupies us so easily. The world is a spiritual wilderness where it is easy to get lost without a moral and spiritual compass to guide us and point us in the right direction. We need to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, all the little goals will fall into place.

Please help us to keep the ultimate Christian destination in sight, especially for those in their senior years. Seniors’ runway gets shorter as we age, and we must make sure we know where we will land. Help us to remember that ageing is more important as a spiritual than a biological process.

Please help us to overcome our difficulties, distractions, and temptations that we may face. They cause us to lost our way and forgotten our ultimate destination. If we have lost our way or neglected our ultimate destination, help us to return to You. We want our ultimate destination to be the heavenly Father's house. This ultimate destiny is possible only if we place our faith in Christ and learn to live in Him while we are on earth. Please help us.

Help us learn to say with Paul, ‘I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus’. Because this is the only destination that is worth living and dying for, the only one that offers eternal life. All others are dead ends.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!”
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Reflection - Spiritual Journey - Ultimate Christian Destination
Source (book): "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, PART I: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, Chapter 1, "Remembering Origins and Destination", Question 2, Page 7.
By Robert M. Solomon, Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore from 2000 - 2012

Also from the same author, Robert M. Solomon

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html

"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html

"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html

"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html

"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html

Reference

[1] From "Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, Copyright © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon, ISBN 978-981-14-1836-5, PART I: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, Chapter 1, "Remembering Origins and Destination", Page 4-7.

[10] Eugene Bianchi, Aging as a Spiritual Journey (New York: Crossroads, 1992), 190.

New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Haggai 1:5, 7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Haggai+1%3A5%2C+7&version=NIV

John 14:1-3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A1-3&version=NIV

Matthew 6:31-33 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A31-33&version=NIV

Matthew 11:28-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+11%3A28-29&version=NIV

Philippians 3:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+3%3A14&version=NIV

https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html

https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html

https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html

https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html