I traveled to see my mom, who had recently turned ninety-seven. That’s quite a milestone. The drive was nine hours each way. Although I knew that upfront, that didn’t lessen the impact of sitting in a car, dodging traffic for what seemed like forever. Seeing my mom was the only reason I would take such a trip.
Typically, I don’t do vacations. Lying around and relaxing isn’t me. I must see a real purpose behind a trip, or I’d rather stay home. However, I had planned this trip to take my mom shopping, get her to her favorite hair stylist, and eat lunch with children and grandchildren. And she had a great time.
Some of the best journeys I have taken were mission trips to Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. On a layover at a church in New Mexico, we met a woman with Multiple Sclerosis who assisted with meal prep on her knees. She was that devoted to serving us. She felt serving others was God’s purpose for her. In Arizona, we met a deacon who, for little or sometimes no pay, served the Navajo in many ways. And the list goes on.
God had four journeys ready for Paul. Paul was not the kind of person to go wherever just because. His primary purpose was to introduce an unbelieving world to Jesus Christ, and he succeeded. It cost him physically, but nothing deterred him from moving to the following unbelieving territory.
However, God’s goal for Paul was also to declare to many officials—from local magistrates to Caesar, the emperor of Rome—all that Jesus had done, who He was, and the benefits of being a believer. God’s purpose drove Paul.
We, too, should live purposefully by surrounding ourselves with a God who loves us and by listening to Him as He speaks to us through His Word and Spirit. Like Paul, our purpose is to tell unbelievers who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and what the benefits are of being a Christian.
In Jesus, we live. Ensure you are traveling with a purpose.
Carl Schleede is a writer.