Life is a journey and we have not yet reached our destination! So often, we don’t enjoy the journey because we are more concerned with reaching the destination than taking in the scenery or enjoying the trip – hence the dreaded question, ‘Are we there yet?’

The Christian life is something of a paradox, for Christ most certainly has reached His destination. He is the victor; He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, having completed the work He was given to do (Eph 1:18-23). When He was on earth, many tried to stop Him, but they could not (see Matt 2:13, Lk 4:16, 24 – 30; John 5:16-18) and now we know that He has beaten sin and death and set us free from the curse of sin (death). Col 2:16-18 clarifies the total victory over the enemy which Christ has won; the fact that He is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Heb 1:1-3) demonstrates the completeness of the work He has achieved.

The question now is not whether Christ is victorious, but whether we are. God promises many rewards to those who are victorious (see Rev 2:7), but there are warnings also for us en route (see Rev 2-3, 2 Cor 2:11). We need to be careful to keep to our first love (Rev 3:1-17) and to keep alert on the journey. This will involve:

1. Prayer (1 Tim 2:1) All spiritual growth begins with listening to and talking to God. Prayer changes us and changes situations too. As we learn to hear God’s voice, He will lead us and direct us.

2. Development (Gal 5:22-23). God brings the fruit of the Spirit to growth in our lives, leading us to develop and grow.

3. Reproduction (Matt 28:18-20) Our part in God’s victory is laid out for us here; we are to go and make disciples of every nation, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them everything Jesus taught us. The work of Jesus may be complete, but we still have a mission to complete!

For us, still journeying with God, there is a constant need to keep alert and be aware that this is no time for relaxation; we are still engaged in spiritual warfare and are still on active duty. The world is not friendly and our enemy still roars like a lion, seeking to devour us, but we serve a victorious Saviour and there are still victories and people to b won.