¡°Trip Tips¡±
Matt 6:25-34
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Back when I was in college, I had the privilege of going on a work-study trip abroad with faculty, staff, pastors, fellow students, and parents of students. There were about 40 of us. It was a 21-day journey that included visits to Rome, Greece, Egypt, and Israel¨Ca trip that would take me more than 20,000 miles...the biggest excursion of my life!
I had received a brochure from our travel agent that was filled with suggestions on what to do to be prepared¡ª¡°tips for my trip.¡±
Their suggestions included:
❏ what clothes to take
❏ money for souvenirs
❏ pills for motion sickness and dysentery
❏ what to expect when going through customs
❏ how to exchange currency
❏ drinking water hazards
❏ passport info
All of this was designed to help me enjoy my experience while traveling¨Cto make it as safe and pleasant as possible. I took them very seriously and enjoyed the trip more than I can express.
And this morning I would like to share some ¡°trip tips¡± with you, for all of us are about to embark on a journey¨Ca journey into a new year! We¡¯ve never been there before and we don¡¯t know exactly what it will hold for us. So let me share some suggestions for you as you prepare to enter 2004.
1. Travel As Light As You Can
We were only allowed to take one large suitcase and one carry-on. After we arrived I was glad. In fact, I wished I had gone even lighter. You see, we had to take our luggage with us and that meant several moves.
As we travel through 2004, we must understand that excess weight will slow us down and make us exhausted. We need to get rid of unnecessary burdens whatever they may be: sin, guilt, bitterness, fear, worry, and doubt. These things cannot be packed in our spiritual suitcase if we want to enjoy the trip!
Heb 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
When we¡¯re free from carrying personal burdens, then we¡¯ll have room to carry the burdens of others.
And there¡¯s another benefit: we¡¯ll also have room and energy to carry some spiritual souvenirs (testimonies) for others.
2. Don¡¯t Forget Your Map
Did you ever start out on a trip and then discovered that you forgot your map? You know, the one you had highlighted with a yellow or orange marking pen. The Bible is our roadmap¡ªand our guidebook and compass all wrapped up into one.
Psalm 119:105: ¡°Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.¡±
Spurgeon: ¡°A Bible which is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn¡¯t.¡±
This ¡°roadmap¡± will:
❏ keep you from wandering where you don¡¯t belong
❏ prevent you from getting lost
❏ wasting you time in unfamiliar territory
Illustration: ¡°The Little Girl Who Circled ¡®God¡¯ In Her Bible¡±
A mother of a five-year-old girl was startled to find her going through a new Bible storybook and circling the word ¡°God¡± wherever appeared on the page. Stifling her first reaction to reprimand the child for defacing a book, she quietly asked, ¡°Why are doing that?¡± The little girl¡¯s matter-of-fact answer was, ¡°So that I will know where to find God when I want Him.¡±
3. Take Only What You Need
Some of the women in our group took all kinds of beauty aids...from blow dryers to several dresses and suits. Needless to say, there was little room for basic necessities and no room for souvenirs. When they opened their suitcases, it was like a volcano erupting!
What are some of the spiritual needs that we must take with us into the New Year? Let me suggest four.
1) Confidence
¡ö in God (His presence, love, and power)
¡ö in ourselves Phil.4:13: ¡°I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.¡± Just think of all that God has bestowed upon you: talents, brains, personality, spiritual gifts, the prayers of other believers, the fellowship of the saints.
Illus.: Robert Morrison was leaving for China as a missionary when someone asked him if he expected to make any kind of impression in that Great Chinese Empire? He answered, ¡°No,¡± but I expect God will through me.¡± And God did, using the talents of this dedicated man.
¡ö in others. Its easy for us to find flaws in people because they¡¯re so much like ourselves. Some of them may disappoint us, but most of them will gloriously reward our confidence in them.
2) Contentment
¡ö We owe it to God. After all, He has given us His best, and yet so often we go through life grumbling and whining about our lot.
¡ö We owe it to ourselves. We¡¯ll be happier, healthier, live longer, and serve God better if we practice the art of contentment.
¡ö We owe it to others. We want to attract our loved ones and neighbors to Christ, so we must reflect a good deal of contentment.
Illus.: ¡°The Farmer and His Ad¡±
A certain farmer lived on the same farm all his life. It was a good farm, but with the passing years the farmer grew tired of it. He longed for a change, something ¡°better.¡± Every day he found some reason for criticizing some feature. Finally he decided to sell it and so he listed it with a realtor who promptly prepared a sales advertisement. As one might expect it listed all the advantages...ideal location, modern equipment, healthy livestock, acres of fertile ground, etc. Before placing the ad, the realtor called the farmer and read a copy to him so as to get his input and approval. When he had finished the farmer cried out, ¡°Hold everything! I¡¯m not going to sell after all. Why, I¡¯ve been looking for a place like that all of my life!¡±
3) Courage
When Paul journeyed to Rome he walked up the famous Appian Way and we read in Acts 28:15 that he ¡°thanked God, and took courage.¡± He had survived a terrible storm and shipwreck, And he received fresh courage as he remembered the goodness of God.
¡ö We need courage to stand up for our convictions. Motto of the French Foreign Legion: ¡°If I falter, push me on. If I stumble, pick me up. If I retreat, shoot me.¡±
¡ö to bear bravely the trials and sorrows of life. Illus.: ¡°Pick One With a Twinkle In It¡± (Page 128, Illustrations Unlimited, Hewett).
¡ö to share freely what the Lord has done for us...we must believe that God has given us something to say that people need to hear.
4) Consecration
A well-known Christian leader once said, ¡°I will cut myself off from all things that consume energy, time, and money which do not have in them the redemptive element.¡± Its like an organist sitting down to play ¡°chopsticks.¡± It only takes two fingers. He¡¯s not making full use of the organ.
When we give God everything, we pull out all the stops and let Him play all the keys of our lives. He will use us to bring forth beautiful music.
4. Pay Attention to the Signs Along the Way
¡ö Be patient with detours. They are provided for your protection. They may take a bit longer, but they also may take you on far more interesting routes.
¡ö Observe the speed limits. Don¡¯t get ahead of God or lag behind.
¡ö Use the rest stops. Take comfort, get away, rest in God and His Word.
5. Expect To Enjoy the Journey!
¡ö There will be exciting opportunities, tremendous possibilities, rich blessings in the year ahead. Look for them! Anticipate
¡ö them! Expect them!
Sometimes, when we take a trip we are tempted to think about those we made in the past and to dwell on the negative experiences. If you¡¯re really going to get the most out of this journey it is imperative that you review in your mind only the good, positive experiences of the past.
Illus.: ¡°Grand Canyon Perspective¡±
Three men were visiting the Grand Canyon¨Can artist, a minister, and a cowboy. As they stood on the edge of that massive abyss, each one responded with a cry of exclamation: Artist: ¡°Ah, what a beautiful scene to put on canvass.¡± Minister: ¡°What a wonderful example of the handiwork of God!¡± Cowboy: ¡°What a terrible place to lose a cow!¡±
How do you look ahead to the New Year? What are you expecting?
¡ö I¡¯m expecting God to bless me!
¡ö I¡¯m expecting to learn more about God, myself, and others.
¡ö I¡¯m expecting to win someone to Christ.
¡ö I¡¯m expecting God to use me.
¡ö I¡¯m expecting to have the victory over temptation and trials
¡ö I¡¯m expecting to make new friends.
¡ö I¡¯m expecting this church to grow
¡ö I¡¯m expecting answers to prater
¡ö I¡¯m expecting to grow in my faith
What are you expecting?
Don¡¯t forget...
1. Travel as light as you can.
2. Don¡¯t forget your map.
3. Take only what you need.
4. Pay attention to the road signs.
5. Expect to enjoy the New Year.
HAVE A GOOD TRIP!
