Landmarks in a Walk With God

When the Israelites traveled through the desert for forty years they set landmarks to remember important events. Those landmarks served a purpose to teach younger generations about the fulfillment of God's promises and mercy. Today we don't build a pile or rocks in the backyard to commemorate a life changing event in our lives. Most of the time we only remember the big life changing events in our lives and don't set them in stone for others to know or even to remind ourselves of the life change that occurred. A few years ago my church decided to host our annual men's breakfast at the house of a men's council member, Ken. That morning I arrived early to help setup and prepare the food, and noticed this rather large dead tree just off the cement patio. I inquired and learned a rather interesting story about that tree and Ken's salvation experience. I'd known Ken for years and already knew his strong faith in God, but to hear the story firsthand and then to be able to look at the same tree he kept as a landmark of his changed life was eye-opening. While we have stories about our experiences of our lives in Christ sometimes having that landmark to commemorate those experiences leads others to know Him that much more. Later that same morning he told each of the men that arrived to write their favorite verse on that tree, and as I approached to write mine I saw all the verses that had preceded my time there. History was being formed before my eyes as I read some of the verses that were scrawled on the bark of that tree. In thinking back on that day I am reminded of two important facts in my own walk. The first, that I have not reached the end of my road and the second, drastic transformations happen in our walk with Christ. When we come to know Christ we are choosing to cast off what once was our lives to take up our new lives. It has been seen as changing clothes, but I take it more like using a closet in a different house. We have no more dirty rags and now we get to where the white line robes. In this life everything we do or that happens to us is preparing us for the next phase. A lukewarm man of God fell out of a tree to become a man on fire for Christ. Drastic changes do occur. ## Transformation > "But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank." > Acts 9:1-9 On the road to Damascus Paul (Acts 9) was confronted by Jesus. The experience blinded him and left him in a position of humility and dependency to God. The change in his own life was drastic and transformational. He went from being a man persecuting and killing Christians to a man spreading the message of Christ to people, because of that experience he had on the road to Damascus. It was his landmark of faith that stretched not only from his life, but it became a part of the men, women and children who were saved as a result of that one moment. ## Set Your Landmarks The landmarks that we have in our walk with Christ can either be tangible or intangible, but they mustn't be taken lightly or forgotten. Those moments of transformation must be remembered and shared. Think of the landmarks of your life as life status updates. Don't be afraid to share. What would have happened to the world if Paul had refused his calling? Or what would change if the transformation that happened in your life might go unheard?