This past week we were blessed to have Pastor Gene Pensiero Jr. from Calvary Chapel Hanford filling the pulpit. I also wanted to add him as our guest blogger this week which you will find below. Enjoy! – Pastor Mike
This past Sunday we took a look at the journey of the Wise Men in Matthew chapter 2.
Their story is a classic, celebrated every year. But think for a moment about just how astonishing their decision to go was: They saw a star and decided to pack up and just start walking till they arrived at…
…at where?
The truth is, they didn’t know where they were going! At least, they didn’t know the place. After all, they had to ask Herod where they should be looking.
No, they didn’t know the place, but they certainly knew the Person waiting for them at the end of the road. They were willing to walk indefinitely until they reached the presence of the Lord.
What would it take for you to pack a bag, get in your car, and just start driving till you got somewhere you didn’t know you were going?
It sounds crazy, but it does give us an interesting look at what walking with Christ is like.
Now, we know that we’re headed toward a specific city, one whose Builder and Maker is God. So, in that sense, we’re not walking indefinitely the way the Magi were.
However, we really don’t know how far our road is going to be, how long it will take for us to get there, how smooth the path, how many turns, how many deserts or mountains. But God asks us to follow Him as He leads us on.
Here in Hanford, there are certain streets I try to avoid when driving because they have too many stop lights or too much traffic at certain times of day. Instead, I find the path of least resistance. But I don’t get that luxury in my walk with Christ. My directive is to follow my Leader, who is always leading me forward.
The question is: Am I pursuing God and making progress? He’s definitely leading His people to growth and to action and to destinations, but we’ve got to make the choice to step out of the door. As we saw Sunday, there were many priests and Scribes who had heard the Word, could be directed to the star by the Wise Men from the east, but, at the end of the day, they didn’t have an interest in taking a walk with God. They stayed home and missed the Messiah.
This life is about pursuing a Person – Jesus Christ. We may not know all the twists and turns, deserts and valleys that we’re going to have to go through on the journey, but we can be confident that our God will not lead us astray. He will go with us until, finally, we are face to face with our Savior and King.
Let’s hit the road.
God bless you!
This blog post comes from the thoughts of the sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 titled “Star Search” which can be found by clicking here or simply visiting http://www.refugesanger.com/teachings
For more about Pastor Gene Jr. or the ministry at Calvary Chapel Hanford, please visit www.calvaryhanford.com
A Place of Refuge 