The Good Journey
3 John 1:2 (NKJV) Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
John is writing to his friend Gaius, and is saying 'I want you to prosper in all things, and be in health even as your soul is prospering.
In our culture it is the opposite, we can focus so much on our health, but we can neglect the soul.
This year we are going to focus on the soul. Over the next couple of months we will continue talking about what a prosperous soul looks like.
For some of us the word “prosper” can negative connotations. When this word is taken out of context it can be preached for all the wrong reasons, but the word itself - the word “prosper” - when we look at the definition is something God wants for our lives.
The word prosper in this scripture is defined “a good journey”.
God wants you to have a good journey.
Share three things about how to have a good journey.
1) Lay everything down.
When we lay down our life - i mean, really lay it down - and say God everything I have is yours, my past, my present and my future we set ourselves up for the good journey.
Some of us are happy to give God our past, but not our future.
Laying down my life means laying down all three of those categories - past, present and future.
This is what it means to prosper.
2) Take steps of faith.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
When we trust in the Lord, and lean not on our own understanding then he will make our paths straight.
This verse because it’s so simple, yet so hard.
It’s simple - trust God, acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.
Yet how many times do we try to do things our own way...
But when we trust him, when we take steps of faith, and acknowledge him he gives us a good journey.
Maybe you’re in a season where he’s calling you to step out in faith, go for it.
What’s your step of faith?
Maybe it's to get baptised, or to share your faith with someone, or to give in the offering...each of these requires a step of faith.
The success of this church is not built on the talents of few, but the sacrifice of many.
This church will only be all that it’s called to be when we step up be part of something bigger than ourselves.
3) Have the right people around you.
You may have heard of the saying: “show me your friends, and I’ll tell you where you’ll be in 5 years”
This is true for all of us, we have to have the right people speaking into our lives.
We have to have the right leaders above us, and the right support around us.
This is what I love about the church, God has set it up as the family of God. The church is not a building, it is people.
If we aren’t in relationship with the right people then we are not going to have the good journey that God wants for our lives.
Put yourself around people that are going to build you up, speak into your life, and encourage you forward in the things of God.
If we can apply these things to our live we will truly prosper.