INAUGURAL ISSUE
Some of you don’t know this, but from April 1985 to December 1997, I previously published another monthly teaching publication entitled The Communicator, distributing it around the earth by “snail mail.” That printed publication–in which I taught the Bible and related subjects–reached numerout people in almost every state of USAmerica and many other nations. During those almost 13 years of monthly publication, The Communicator enriched the lives of hundreds–even thousands–of people around the world. Many lives were eternally changed! Many people came to know Jesus personally and intimately, and grew, developed, and matured in their relationship with Him.
Most of the teachings in that printed publication have been enhanced and updated and are now posted on our ministry website imbedded in many of my teachings. I encourage you to read any and all of them whenever you have time. If you were to read and study all of the teachings posted there you would have almost a full college-level education in many Bible topics, themes, and related subjects. I still don’t for sure why God asked me stop writing and publishing The Communicator almost 12 years ago.
Oh, I know some of his reasons, but not all of them. Sometimes—as much as we’d like to—we just don’t know all we want to know about God and why He does what He does. I learned a long time ago He has no obligation to explain to me all He does in and through my life. No, God is not obligated in any way to fully explain his Word, his works, his will, or his ways to me. Okay . . . so why not begin where I left off 12 years ago, and start re-publishing The Communicator? Why start a new e-mail publication entitled The Traveler? Good questions! To explain fully would take far too much time and space.
Traveler: n. a person who journeys from one place to another.
I’ve had a publication such as The Traveler on my mind for many years. EACH OF US IS A TRAVELER THROUGH THE EONS OF TIME AND BEYOND—INTO OUR FINAL, ETERNAL STATE OF BEING!
Yes, we’re all travelers on a lifelong journey through this life . . . to the next life . . . and beyond. We’re all traveling through time from birth to death, through the ages of time, and into a state-of-being called eternity. I simply believe God wants me to share with you some of my thoughts about our journey. So, for however many years God wants me to write and publish The Traveler, join me; let’s journey along together.
I hope The Traveler will be a monthly publication, but that remains to be seen. I enjoy doing the necessary research and writing of a teaching publication such as this, but it does take a good bit of time and effort each month. It’s worth it to me—if it’s worth it to you. While writing material such as this, I am constantly asking myself “God, will it help my readers grow, develop, and mature as Jesus-believers?”
Here We Go!
The Bible (God’s printed revealing of Himself to humans) has much to teach us about travelers—and their journeys. From Genesis to Revelation we read about many travelers—people just like you and me who traveled through their own time and space . . . and God deliberately left us with written accounts of many of their journeys. We’re going to study the lives of some of those travelers and see how their journeys relate to our own journeys thousands of years later. And, I’ll write about what the Bible has to say, if anything, about us traveling through the 21st century.
Some of you reading this inaugural issue of The Traveler have been traveling with me almost from the very beginning of my own journey many years ago. Some of you joined me half way or three-fourths of the way on my journey. Some of you have only recently become my fellow travelers. We’re all at different stages of each of our journeys, but we’re all journeying the same “route” from birth to death . . . and beyond. At various times we’ve all experienced detours, switchbacks, obstacles, and delays. There have been some sunny days to travel—and some dark, gloomy days shrouded in mystery and fog when we weren’t even sure we were still on the right path. At times we’ve each been surrounded by all sorts of warm, friendly traveling companions; at other times, the journey has been very lonely when we’ve felt we were the only ones on the road.
The Right Path
There’ve been some pleasant stops along the way, but also some stops filled with sorrow and pain. At times, each of us has lost our way and we’ve been concerned whether or not we would be able to get back on the right path. Sometimes we’ve encountered robbers and thieves who’ve tried to rob us of God’s provision for our journeys. There have been seasons of great strength—and seasons of exhaustion and weariness. We’ve each experienced seasons of extreme heat—and extreme cold. But there have also been warm, balmy days of joy and peace as we’ve traveled along, singing as we go.
Ah! For each of us there have been those magic moments during our journeys when God reminded us with startling clarity: The journey—not the destination—is what it’s all about! Oh, sure, the destination is important, but since our arrival at our destination has been predetermined by God, let’s enjoy the journey in getting there!
Where are we headed? Where is our journey taking us? What is our destination? The same place Father Moses and Father Abraham and millions of others—our fellow sojourners and pilgrims—were headed: our homeland, a heavenly country, a magnificent city, in a freshly restored earth and universe—especially prepared for each of us by the Master Traveler and Builder, Jesus, Who eagerly awaits our arrival in our eternal homeland. (See Hebrews 11: 14 – 16 and Revelation 21: 1 and 2)
Along Life’s Way
Yes, that’s our destination, but how do we get there? If we’re all fellow travelers through this life . . . and beyond, where is that destination located, where are we headed? To begin to answer such questions, we must start with God. He is both our beginning and our ending—and the journey itself; God must be our starting point. I’m not going to attempt to prove God’s existence. According to the Bible, only “foolish” or unwise people believe there is no God.
Every human ever born starts out believing in God; some have simply chosen at some point in their lives to deny His existence, but they’ll believe again at some point in their journey—even if it’s not until at the end of their journey. This publication is not written for the foolish and unwise; it’s written for the wise—those who have chosen to journey along the Way of the Wise.
God was at the beginning of each of our journeys. God will be at the end of each of our journeys. God is with us each step of our journeys. Our journeys begin and end with God. If that’s not true, then the journey is in vain and we are very foolish indeed! But we are not foolish. We are wise. And we are journeying along the King’s High Way. We walk in the light of God’s eternal day, not in the darkness. We know the beginning, we see the end, and we understand where the journey is taking us.
We have many “signs” to guide us on our journey and we will look at some of those signs, the foremost being the Bible, God’s written “Traveler’s Guide,” full of detailed travel information. In part V of his poem, “Little Gidding,” the famed poet, T. S. Eliot, once addressed the matter of our journeys in these words: “We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive at where we started and know the place for the first time.”
We know He who said “I am the Way” was with us at the beginning of our journey, He is with us and in us throughout the journey, and He will be there to greet us at the end of our journey. Yes, we are wise—not foolish; the journey is secure; we are safe; there are unseen Great Ones who guard us and surround us as we journey with joy in our hearts and songs on our lips! God calls to each of us: “Come, journey with me; together we are bound for the Promised Land and the Celestial City. Who will come and go with Me?” “To the place where I am going, you know the way . . . I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; those who journey to the Father’s House arrive safely home at last only through Me.” –Jesus in John 14: 4 and 6, paraphrased
Every human ever born knows instinctively he or she is on a life-journey. Just as with their knowledge of God, some deny the reality of that journey, but they know . . . they know. All who admit their knowledge of the journey hope they are on the “right” journey, but the only right journey is through The Way to the Father’s House. And therein lies the dilemma for uncounted humans: there are ways that seem right to many, but unfortunately the end of those ways is death. (Proverbs 12: 15 and 14: 12)
Sojourners and Pilgrims
Sojourner: n. one who lives temporarily, as on a brief visit.
Pilgrim: n. a person who travels about; a wanderer. (see Psalm 119: 54; Hebrews 11: 13, and 1 Peter 2: 1
Let’s establish this fact right at the beginning of this inaugural issue of The Traveler: God is the only Being Who is not a traveler, sojourner, or pilgrim. He simply is—the Great I AM. He doesn’t travel anywhere or go anywhere. Everything—everywhere and everywhen—is absolutely simultaneous to God! One of our fellow sojourners named Hildebert wrote these lines about our non-traveling God many centuries ago:
“God, You are within all things,
but not enclosed;
outside all things,
but not excluded.
Underneath all things,
The firm Foundation of all.
You are above all things,
sustaining them.
You are wholly outside,
embracing all things;
wholly within,
filling all things.”
To Think About This Month:
“As I journey along the King’s High Way, it is the King Himself in Whom, with Whom, and to Whom I travel. He was the Beginning of my journey, will be the End of my journey, and is the Journey itself.”
Have a great journey this month. I’ll write again soon—
All back issues of all sugsequent issues of The Traveler are archived on this our website as well as many of our most popular teachings.
Bill Boylan
Life Enrichment Services, Inc
leservices38@yahoo.com
Revised and updated December 2020
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