I remember the morning, it was June 18^th, my first real day of military service. There were some 200 young men walking down the line in a big warehouse, with men behind the counter asking each man what size we were. From underwear to socks, shoes/boots, uniforms, hats…everything we needed. And it all got stuffed into the duffle bag as we moved down the line. All the while our friendly Drill Sargent was screaming, “Hurry up! Keep moving!” At the end of the line, with clothes falling out of the duffle, we were ordered back to the barracks. At the barracks “all” of our civilian clothes were boxed, sealed & turned in for storage, never to be seen until we shipped out for our next assignment. For all practical purposes, everything I needed was in that duffle bag. If it would not fit in the duffle…I didn’t need it. Over the next four years the duffle and I went around the world with my essentials.

Thinking about it now causes me pause. When Mary & I pack to go 30 miles to our lake place it takes a full van or pickup loaded with “essentials”. But are they truly essential? What do we really need?

The world tells us we need stuff and more stuff. The more stuff you have the happier, more respected, the better life will be, right? If this is the case, why is our nation, the most prosperous nation in history, experiencing so much anxiety, division & hopelessness? The answer to this question and all life issues are found in one place. Not the opinions of man but in “The Guidebook For Living” God’s Love Letter, the Bible.

After God unpacks our duffle, He gives us passages we will need for our life journey. From Psalm 39:7 we receive this truth, “And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.” Hope! Without hope…hope in something that will last…something I can trust No-Matter-What, I am doomed. Then in John 14:6, Jesus identifies the Hope when He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Because God knows us, He also packs a first aid kit in our duffle. He knows we will fail and get lost. It’s found in 2 Chronicles 7:14 where God clearly says, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” God specifically tells us to stop, turn around and seek Him. Then He gives us the compass we need every day in Psalm 25:4 & 5, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Jesus packs this truth in our duffle found in Matthew 22:36-40, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Through Bible Study Fellowship I recognize a common characteristic of God. The people He called to do His mighty work only had a few things in their duffle. They traveled light because they trusted Him to provide everything for the journey.

Listen to how God packs Joshua’s duffle before leaving to take possession of the Promise Land. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 Simply put… it was Joshua’s personal relationship with God who would be all he needed for his life assignment. Not God mixed in with stuff… Only God.

So, what’s in your duffle? Maybe you are like me, dragging my 70lb duffle through the airport thinking, I don’t need all this stuff! The thief on the cross emptied his duffle and asked Jesus into his heart. He found he only needed Jesus.