God Wants Us To Travel | RIOT Podcast Ep 121 | Christian Podcast

About this Episode

𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲'𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐓 𝐩𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐲, “𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐔𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥” on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast.

God tells us in Genesis, that travel is a divine command (vocation). It’s a work trip to do the Lord’s business. God tells Adam and Eve to “be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth”(𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 𝟏:𝟐𝟖). In other words, traveling is part of humanity’s job description. However, God isn’t so much telling Adam and Eve to leave the Garden as He is telling them to extend the Garden.

From the beginning of time, travel was a thing to do and it was something that we did together, with God and one another. Gen 2:1-3 We worked together and Sabbathed together. Sadly, many of us have lost the missional, meaningful, sabbatical, worshipful and communal intent of a trip.

Before the fall travel was blessed by God, after the fall it became a curse. God had to “turn the car around” in a sense; instead of the trip being about expanding the Garden, it became about finding a way back to the Garden.

It’s hard to deny that there is something troubling about the modern American approach to travel, which at this point, could almost be classified as a competitive sport. Travel, especially the travel we see on social media, seems to have devolved into:

• 𝐀 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 (travel to find myself);

• 𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (travel as a way to be seen and accepted);

• 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 (travel as a substitute for purpose);

• 𝐀𝐧 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬(travel as a way to titillate and medicate).

We should travel with an eye towards the opportunities God will provide to share the gospel and extend mercy. In other words, whether we are traveling for work or play, we should be looking for opportunities on the plane, playground or in the hotel lobby for chances to tell people about and practically show them the love of Jesus. .

To wrap up everything today, God wants us to take advantage of the opportunity to travel and explore the world around us. He knows that through experiencing different cultures and learning about different people, we can become better, more understanding, and compassionate individuals. Traveling allows us to break down barriers and make connections that would not have been possible otherwise. It can also be a great way to practice our faith and deepen our spiritual connection with God.