Luke 24:13-15,
“And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus,
which is about seven miles from Jerusalem… While they were talking and
discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. But their eyes
were prevented from recognizing Him.”
Why are we
as a society, as mankind, so much about getting some place, obtaining some thing,
completing, competing, achieving, building destroying, accumulating, and
accomplishing? Why must everything have an end, a destination, a goal, a prize?
Is the arrival happiness? Is there true joy or peace in achieving?
Cleopas
& his companion walked seven miles with Jesus, Him talking a lot of the
way, and did not see that it was the risen Lord until into the evening as they
ate a meal. Were they overly concerned with getting to Emmaus? What prevented their
eyes from recognizing Him?
What am I
missing as I travel this life? How many times is He here with me, and I am
unaware or unrecognizing?
This becomes
my focus and the subject of my conversations with Christ through the Holy
Spirit. How do I let go of the temporary nature of tomorrow, and live in the
eternalness of today? How do I live in the daily murmuration of the Holy Spirit
moving like one of the many starlings, independent yet in concert with the
Maker?
Time and
time and time and time again God says, it’s not about the destination. It is
not about arriving, but it is about the walk, the journey, the daily
recognition of Christ and the following Him. Life is not about what I can
build. It is not about what I can accomplish. But what He can accomplish in me.
Reiterating this point comes T Austin-Sparks in my daily reading. He wrote. “…
that which is of supreme importance is not Christian doctrine, mentally
appraised and apprehended, but a living and clear spiritual apprehension of
Christ.”
What is
important is that we recognize Christ with us in the journey. What is most
important is that we recognize and follow Him. T Austin-Sparks continued, “The
Lord would teach us… that the ground of assurance is not in our having decided
for Christ, nor that we persist in the Christian life, nor that we feel strong,
nor that we have certain ability as Christians and are able to do this or that.
It is not the measure of our activity in the work of the Lord, nor any one of
this things constitutes us is that Christ is the foundation, and that we are
inseparably linked with Him by faith. EVERYTHING else can be suspended as
secondary consideration until that is settled… If only in the face of all you
may see of a multitude of contradictions in your own life in weaknesses, and
imperfections, and lack of attainment, you will persistently believe in Him as
having it in Himself to bring you through to the end, you will go through in
spite of all…”
We cannot
attain, obtain, or achieve anything beyond that which Christ already has. And
the journey will teach us this if we are not looking for the Companion Who
travels with us… Who we should be following.
When we
follow Christ we lose concern for the destination. The only thing that is important is staying with and keeping up with Him. Consequently the journey
becomes alive. The journey becomes the destination and in it are the joy, and
peace, and patience, and understanding that comes from being in relationship to
Christ. Recognize Christ in your journey and find the joy and peace you thought only existed in the destination.
