"What would you need to reenergize your journey?"

A thought by Max Lucado, from his book, Begin Again (p. 7). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

That is a very good question for some. Maybe you?

Max says, "Though the answers are abundant, three come quickly to mind.

"The first would be a person. Not just any person. You don’t need someone equally confused. You need someone who knows the way out. Someone you can trust.

"And from him you need some vision. You need someone to lift your spirits. You need someone to look you in the face and say, 'This isn’t the end. Don’t give up. You can begin again. There is a better place than this. And I’ll lead you there.'

"And perhaps most important you need direction. If you have only a person but no renewed vision, all you have is company. If he has a vision but no direction, you have a dreamer for company. But if you have a person with direction—who can take you from this place to the right place—ah, then you have one who can restore your hope."

He goes on, "Or, to use David’s words, 'He restores my soul' (Ps. 23:3 NKJV).

"Our Shepherd majors in restoring hope to the soul. Whether you are a lamb lost on a craggy ledge or a city slicker alone in a deep jungle, everything changes when your rescuer appears.

"Your loneliness diminishes because you have fellowship.Your despair decreases because you have vision. Your confusion begins to lift because you have direction."

He continues, "Your Shepherd knows that you were not made for this place. He knows you are not equipped for this place. So he has come to guide you out.

"He is the perfect one to do so.

"He has the right vision. He reminds you that 'you are like foreigners and strangers in this world' (1 Peter 2:11 NCV). And he urges you to lift your eyes from the jungle around you to see the heaven above you. 'Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ. . . . See things from his perspective' (Col. 3:2 THE MESSAGE).

He then says, "God, your rescuer, has the right vision. He also has the right direction. He made the boldest claim in the history of humanity when he declared, 'I am the way' (John 14:6). People wondered if the claim was accurate. He answered their questions by cutting a path through the underbrush of sin and death . . . and escaping alive. He’s the only One who ever did. And he is the only One who can help you and me do the same."

And that is such good news, isn't it?

Yes, yes!

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