This document discusses the importance of having the right destination and focus in life. It emphasizes seeking God's kingdom and righteousness first according to Jesus. Each stage of life is part of God's calling and Christians should focus on ministry, growth, and following God's leading rather than money or careers. While the eternal destination of glorifying God is important, the journey itself prepares us for that destination as God shapes us through experiences. Every stop along the journey offers opportunities for dealing with brokenness or experiencing God's blessing.

1. J E N O U R Y Determine the Destination Before You Begin the

2. Every journey has a destination Nothing is more important than knowing where to start.

3. A. Foundation of the Destination “ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33 According to Jesus, what should we seek first? What should we aim for?

4. God’s kingdom --- what He wants to do through us to accomplish His purposes? God’s righteousness ---- what He wants to do in us to make us like His Son? What alternatives to His kingdom and righteousness could we choose as the goal/Destination?

6. B. Understand His Calling for Every Christian “ What am I saved for?” “ What is the chief end of man?” To glorify God and enjoy him forever

7. Christian Vocation is a lifelong response to God in all aspects of one’s life. Work, paid and unpaid, is an integral part of the believer’s response to God’s call. One’s vocation may include multiple careers, volunteer opportunities, and should involve continual spiritual growth in every step of the life-journey to which God calls us.

8. C. Investigate His Specific Calling for You God has a future in mind for you, one in which you can know Him and make Him known, one in which you will find the greatest possible fulfillment. Jesus said, “. . . I am going to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2

9. The journey is to follow His leading as He takes us forward. As we move through the different stages of life, we may find that His will involves more than one “career” in various settings. We cannot possibly predict or prepare for all the bends in the road as is the “accidents” along the way. However, you can expect Him to guide you in taking one step at a time.

10. While the Destination is Important the Journey Prepares us for the Destination

11. God is preparing us for the eternal destination. A life of wholeness and perfect relationship await us for eternity. Getting there means that God seeks to shape us and prepare us through a relational and spiritual formation into the new humanity of which Jesus was the firstborn.

12. Getting to the Destination is a Series of Stops in the Journey Each stop, each encounter is important. For Israel’s history each incident offered an opportunity for the nation as a whole and people in particular to see the brokenness and pain in their lives and deal with it or rejoice in the blessing and provision of God.

13. Each stop was a faith-building exercise.

14. As Christ-followers, we have to be aware that every place where God leads us is part of the journey.

15. Each stop allows us to see the areas of brokenness, sin, hurt and pain in our lives. Exploring the why gives us the potential of dealing with those hang-ups and leaving them behind. This is part of the journey for wholeness. Each stop affords us the ability to experience the blessing and provision of God.

16. Life is a journey - in Christ – with Christ! In the journey of Christian faith, the journey is as important as the destination itself.