Written and submitted by Mr. Lex Curragh
At any airport the most popular spot is the arrivals and departures board. Whether you are travelling or you are meeting someone, you automatically look at that board.
Scripture has something to say about arrivals and departures.
Arrivals
"And that from a child (a young babe) thou hast know the holy scriptures." 2 Timothy 3:15
Timothy was taught the scriptures by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice and the apostle Paul (I Tim 1:5). The holy scriptures here are likely the Old Testament sacred writings or letters. In other words, Timothy learned his ABC’s from the Bible. His letters become sentences, and sentences become paragraphs and paragraphs become compositions.
There is no greater joy than to hold your firstborn for the first time. But then you wonder, what will they be when they grow up? The first baby born into this world was Cain. His mother, Eve, said “she had a man from the Lord”. He turned out a murderer. He was a disappointment, and there have been many since then. Timothy was no disappointment. Paul calls him “my dearly beloved son” and left him at Ephesus to preach and teach the truth in that city. Timothy was a welcomed arrival as a child and as a young preacher.
The greatest arrival is the birth of Jesus our Saviour "God with us” (John 1:14). "Glory to God in the highest".
Departures
"the time of my departures is at hand..." 2 Timothy 4:6
This word departure is a nautical term as if unmooring an ocean liner or folding a tent. If we think of the ship, we immediately think of its destination once unmoored and ask, "whither bound?" Paul was getting close to ending this life (to martyrdom by Nero) and he knew his destination "to be with Christ which is far better".
The Bible speaks of two destinations when we end this life:
1. "to be with Christ" or,
2. as Jesus said, "where I am you cannot come" (John 7:36).
We determine our destination before we depart this life. We “buy our ticket” here.
Which destination will you choose?
Very inspiring Lex,keep it up.