by Bruce Mackay | Download PDF | Purchase Hardcopy

- Are you the type of person who knows exactly where you are going  and what your plans are?
- Do you see how things unfold, follow others and go where they  want to go?
- Do you keep your options open to see whether something better  will come along?
- If you do know where you are going, how well do you plan?
- If you know where you are going, do you know how to get there?
- Do you plan ahead or is everything ‘last minute’?
- If you get lost, do you ask for directions?
- Have you ever been lost; seriously lost, with no idea where you are?
- Do you depend on others to get you to where you are going?

How you answer these questions may have little relevance if you are just having a night out, going on a shopping spree, or staying near home.

But let us consider a long journey that has many stops along the way.  You know the name of the destination, yet you have absolutely no idea how long it will take. Your map has a couple of places marked, but the rest is blank.

This is like the journey of life. We all know our destination is our funeral, but when and how long will it take before we get there? Let us take the point of view that we will live to an average of seventy-plus years.  We know that the landmarks we will face along the way will be, what career, will we marry or stay single, and how many children will we have?

So what career do we choose?  How do we know it’s the right one? How do we choose a marriage partner? If we have children, how will they turn out? Will they cause us grief, or be a joy?

Do we need to think on these things?

As much as we may only want to live in the present and enjoy the moment, we each know this is impossible. Even if you have a great night out, you are faced with life the next day.

And for many, it started as a fun night but ended with regret. What about next time? How can your life change and have purpose? If you don't know where you are going, you will be on a merry-go-round without direction and purpose.

How do you know you are going in the right direction? What is your purpose?

God has a plan and purpose for every person’s life. Before He created the heavens and the earth, He planned every person and their purpose while on earth and after death.

God’s purpose is for each of us to live as His children. This is only possible when we receive Jesus into our life.

John 1:12
‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.’

When we receive Jesus, we receive the right, the power, and the ability to be children of God. We can know our purpose. We belong and we know where we are going.

How do we receive Jesus?

We are born without God’s life. We have human life which only allows us to live in a self-centred way. We all sin have sinned and are all separated from God with no power or ability to live as children of God and fulfil the plan God purposed for us.

Jesus, the Son of God, became a man. God the Son became a man so that mankind could become sons of God. We can only become sons of God who have purpose, through receiving the only Son of God, Jesus.

Jesus died for our sins. His death on the cross was to die in our place that we may receive His life.

When we receive Jesus, we receive God’s gift to us. When we receive His life, we can be children of God with the ability to live as He planned.

We no longer have to be confused about choices along life’s journey. We can know what God planned and have the power to choose. We can also know that our funeral is not the end. We have God’s eternal life and can continue to live as children of God in His heavenly presence.

Where to from here?

Let us consider another scenario. We may not live seventy-plus years. We may not have as long as we thought, before our final earthly destination.

Some are only on the journey for a couple of minutes, a few for over one hundred years.  At what age will you die? None of us know and only a few make adequate plans. How can you plan when there are so many unknowns?  Are you able to earn a sufficient income? Will you stay in good health? Will you be struck down in an accident?

Does it all end at death, or is there something beyond? If so, how do you get there?

The Bible says that it is appointed unto man to die once and after this, the judgement. The Bible also says that all our actions, good and bad, all our words and our thoughts, will be judged. This judgement is given by Jesus.

How will Jesus judge you?

We will all be judged by whether we did the will of God. Did we do the works He planned for us? Only those who receive Jesus can do God’s will. Only those who receive Jesus have the right, power and ability to be children of God, and thus do the works that He planned.

Only children of God know where they are going before and after their funeral!

Author: Bruce Mackay | Citywide Christian Fellowship - Cairns CCFC
Published by Vision One at Toowoomba Christian Fellowship TCF
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