“It’s a long, long road [at least from one perspective], from which there is no return.” How has your journey been going? We’re only given one chance to get it right. There are many obstacles in our way. This world is not our home. We are only passing through on the way to our true home. Our goal is to make it there, bring as many others with us as we can, and to be a blessing to all we meet along the way. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? As a concept, in terms of complexity, it is. In practical terms, however, nothing is more difficult. Welcome to The Savvy Pilgrim – A Travel Companion For The Practical Sojourner.
To be clear, I am not THE savvy pilgrim. I do, however, try to be a savvy pilgrim, as should every Christian. To be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves” is to be aware of the pitfalls and dangers that threaten to hinder you in your sojourn through this world, all the while growing into the likeness of Jesus Christ. In the same way you are directed and protected by signs on the highway, God in His Word gives direction and forewarns you of the enemies that would impede your progress if they cannot altogether remove you from the path of Life.
As it stands, there are a great many resources already available concerning the Christian life. A quick search on Google and a few clicks of the mouse reveal an abundance of material concerning all manner of dangers confronting the believer, the majority of which threaten from outside the church. I will leave that, for the most part, to others. Instead, the focus of The Savvy Pilgrim will primarily be the far more pernicious perils that emanate from within the professing body of believers. Christians are more easily deceived by errors believed and taught by other professing Christians than by openly secular, cultic, or plain anti-Christian ideas spread by unbelievers.
Ask yourself what is more dangerous – the wolf that looks like a wolf, or the wolf that looks like a sheep? Some of you may be thinking, “Who does this guy think he is, calling other Christians wolves?” Take it easy. This is not about a witch-hunt or attempting to sort the sheep from the goats ahead of schedule. The ultimate, eternal destiny of any soul is not in the purview of any other soul. Here is the point – if you believe a lie and repeat it as a fact to someone else, does that make you a liar? I think not. At the time, it may seem to you the greatest news you’ve ever heard or could ever share. However, all your sincerity cannot change the lie into truth, nor mitigate the consequences of believing it and spreading it to others who then believe it.
My own spiritual journey began almost a half century ago (whoa!). During the course of that time, I’ve run across/been confronted with/taken part in an extensive sampling of what churches offer. Some were legalistic. Some were libertine. Others were traditional. Still others eschewed tradition. The spectrum of what is available is as broad as the imagination. I give God the glory for leading me, thus far, through the labyrinth to Himself. I trust that, as He has begun a good work in me, He will be faithful to complete it. I’m happy to share with you what I've learned along the way. Do you long to experience God in the mundane? Is it your aspiration to walk each day of your journey in a personal, intimate relationship with your Savior? Do you hope to avoid the many, costly detours that can slow your progress toward that better, heavenly country? If so, then again, I bid you welcome to The Savvy Pilgrim.
