God's Positioning System

Scripture Reading:
2Chronicles 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars."

It is getting to be a common device in America and around parts of the world, A GPS unit, or "Global Positioning System." Such a system receives signals from an orbiting satellite and then computes in the device, according to the map installed, exactly where you are on the planet and where you need to turn next. If you are in a large city, or have never been to a certain location, a GPS is so handy, it knows the way. In addition to car model GPS units, there are widely available hand held units for backpackers, hunters, etc. These units shows compass directions as well as Latitude/Longitude coordinates. It is these coordinates that can identify your precise location. What a great thing to have if your lost huh???

Another function of a GPS is found in cell phones. Some parents take advantage of this as they wonder where their kids are. They can turn on this function and find the whereabouts of the phone and likely the teen or kid, who in this day and age, will not be found without the phone.

Well, God has the same idea for such a system. His positioning system however uses no handheld electronic devices, nor do the batteries run down, nor do we stick it to a windshield. God uses His Word, the Bible. It is more sophisticated, more durable, and more effective. The reason God has such a system in place is not to keep us under surveillance, but to help us navigate this life towards the life to come. Here are the differences and advantages of a Godly Positioning System.

The Bible differs from a GPS in that it is always ready and on.
My GPS has to be constantly plugged into the 12volt receptacle of the car to be effective for a long time. Worldly philosophies are like this, they only work for a short space of time. When the time runs out, the person listening and following is usually worse off than before. God's Word is however and open Book with no certain times to read it or limitations to seeking God's wisdom. If we ask God to show us something that will challenge and inspire us, even when we do not know where to turn, He will find a Scripture for us, many times just but us opening to a "random" page in the Scriptures. The Word of God does not wear out in its effectiveness as it has stood the test of time. God spoke His words that do not fade away or are affected by time. The same principles in the Bible that were effective in the first century and before are still effective in 2009 and beyond. The book of Proverbs is particularly a good place to find age old wisdom that doesn't know failure, regret, or ineptness.

The Bible acts in a dual mode, Physical and Spiritual.
Sensory technology of today is dependent on certain bands or wavelengths. Remember the old CB radios (citizen band) operated on a different signal than short wave radios or even the 2 Way Radios today. The Bible is not just a book aimed at the Spiritual needs primarily (although that is its main goal), it also addresses the way we are to live and prosper in the Physical world. As mentioned earlier, the book of Proverbs has a lot to say about our physical lives. If you are looking for matters of finances, relationships, practical living, desires, marriage and so on, its all in there. In fact, many of our Founding Fathers, some who were not believers in Christ, saw the Bible for its great moral and social values as the foundation for which the United States should be built upon. Spiritually of course, the Bible is the only key, the only source of knowledge by which a man or woman can be certain of their eternal lives. The Bible is an evangelistic book bound together by the red thread of Christ's blood shed for our sins on the cross. The Bible is a pointer to things yet to come. It tells us what will happen when we die. It assures us Christ will return and not one of His promises ever are empty ones. The Bible tells us how we can have peace and security. The Bible tells us about the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and the guidance He brings. The Bible tells us where to turn and what to seek that is truly valuable and necessary.
The Bible not only reminds us when we are off course, but shows us the ONLY route to take.
A car GPS will tell you when you are off the planned route. Usually most models will keep saying, "Recalculating" or, "please turn around." When we get off track spiritually, the Holy Spirit reminds the Christian of it. Then He will bring to mind a particular Scripture that speaks to the need of the heart. The main difference in God's way and the world's way of regaining your correct direction is that the world will offer you many many options, none of them truly work no matter how much sense it seems to make. God plainly and simply reminds us that by coming back to Him is the only way to be on track. The reason He prescribes this only method is because only He knows the right path and He desires us to walk WITH Him in that path. All routes we take that is not based on God's directives can for sure end in ruin, because man is blind spiritually. If you desire to know where you are and where you need to be spiritually, ask God as you read His Word to show you what needs to be done and the steps to do it.

The Bible makes getting directions spoken to us in a personal manner through the Holy Spirit
When you ask a person who tends to be "religious," do you believe the Bible? Yes, they reply. Do you know who God is? Again, the reply maybe Yes. But when you ask them, "what does God say to you on any given day?" That is when you lose the connection with them. You see for a religious person not knowing the Saviour, the concept of the presence of the Holy Spirit actively talking and guiding us in our lives is so foreign. The mark of the true believer in Christ is the presence of the Holy Spirit. For lack of better illustration, when your car GPS tells you, "Turn left at....." it is speaking to you. The Holy Spirit in the same manner personally speaks to us. He is much more personable than a machine. He has feelings, wisdom, compassion, intellect (off the scale) and more. All a machine can do is tell you what it is programmed to say. There is no personage involved. With God, there is more than just a person or a voice involved, it is He Himself, the same person who died for us, now cares enough to reside with us. God's Spirit is usually not abrupt, but is kind, says more than just the plain facts, and encourages us with more than what we ask for.

Wherever you are in life, God has His eye on you. He knows where you are. He knows where you are in relation to His will and the Scriptures. He also knows how to let us know all these things through His Word the Bible. It is God's Positioning System.

A GPS works two ways, it tells us where we are and it tells us where to go. Next time we will discuss God's role in positioning ourselves for service to Him and for blessing someone, even ourselves.

Take heart that God truly cares and loves us this much.

Dear Lord, Thank You that you do not leave us alone, but are very interested in our lives. Help us to remember this when we feel lonely or neglected by others. Help us to keep focused on You and give us a renewed trust in Your position in our lives. We thank You in Your Name. Amen.


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