This past Sunday Wendy and I did the service for Agincourt Temple and I got to preach. You can see it here.

I took the prayer of David from Psalm 86 and especially verse 11:

Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.

Here’s how I view our lives – I like the imagery of a pilgrimage, to see ourselves as being on a journey – we’re on the way, we’re making progress but we haven’t arrived. That means we aren’t perfect, but we’re making progress. We are going in the right direction – we have a destination.

Of course when we’re on a journey we have to make decisions – to the right or to the left- or sometimes it’s turn around and back track. A journey just implies that we’re going to be meeting with those things which will require courage, choice and wisdom.

Here’s a different look at Psalm 86 from The Message:

Train me, God, to walk straight;
    then I’ll follow your true path.
Put me together, one heart and mind;
    then, undivided, I’ll worship in joyful fear.
From the bottom of my heart I thank you, dear Lord;
    I’ve never kept secret what you’re up to.
You’ve always been great toward me—what love!

Romans 14:6f “What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank Go for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.” – The Message

Do you feel like this? That you’re on the way? That you haven’t arrived but you’re relying on the Spirit of God. You can rely on God and His direction in your pilgrimage – and not just direction, but strength, courage and endurance.

Be a pilgrim!