The Adventure
…so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. – 1 Corinthians 1:7-9.
Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this SPIRITUAL ADVENTURE, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. – 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 – The Message.
Murray Wardell is a veteran glider pilot who has again attempted to set a world flight distance record of 600km. The latest attempt has failed and Wardell said there had been problems with the flight from the beginning. A low cloud at the start of the flight forced him to fly too low to have the altitude necessary to go the distance needed for the record. The landing was unexpectedly rough as he thought he was coming in near Lake Karaka on smooth ground but it turned out to be a swampy area. The glider came to a sudden stop when it hit the mud with the tail of the plane being torn off during the landing. He then had to fight his way through the bush for a kilometer to Ripiro Beach where he called for help. Wardell said later, “I literally staggered out onto the beach. Getting there had been surprisingly tough. Any injuries I got on the day, I got during that walk.”
I like the attitude Wardell had about the problems that he encountered as he says, “At the end of the day it was an adventure rather than a disaster.” Wardell plans to make another record flight attempt in the near future.
The apostle Paul had a similar attitude, as that of Murray Wardell, about his spiritual adventure as he says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).” We can see that the apostle James had the same kind of attitude when he wrote, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (James 1:2-3).” Paul and James saw the Christian life as an adventure during which we would encounter challenges, obstacles, and problems. However, just because we encounter those things does not mean that we are to give up and quit.
In Steven Curtis Chapman’s song, “The Great Adventure” every day is seen as being an adventure, a challenge. That is exactly the way it is portrayed in the Bible. We are not to be depressed and negative about everything because bad things may happen to us along the way. We may be temporarily discouraged but we do not have to stay that way. We can rise up remembering the promises and exhortation of God’s Word. Because all things do work to the good for those who love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We can rise up and go further than we have ever gone before.
There is much that God has for every one of His children, including you, in this spiritual adventure. We can give up when the problems come, when the bad things happen; or we can rise up in His strength (Philippians 4:13) to conquer (Romans 8:37) the spiritual territory before us.
(Every day is a new adventure in the Lord. It is not a day for retreat but a day for you to conquer the spiritual territory before you.)