Have you ever had a discussion with someone about directions, or the
best way to get some place? Or maybe you have taken it a step farther
and had a discussion in the past with the Garmin that was perched on
your dashboard, or more recently the directions given from your phone.
OK, so maybe you haven’t-- but I have. And I humbly must say that
when I do have the discussion (unfortunately at times out loud) I am
usually right, but I don’t need to go there. When we discuss how to
get somewhere we are usually following something. Maybe our
experiences, maybe someone right in front of us, or maybe what our
phone is telling us. But directions are an important aspect of
getting somewhere.
In the distant past if you were traveling you would have a guide,
someone who had passed that way before. Or you may have navigated at
night by the stars. There was one particular time, that we associated
with this time of year, when it wasn’t the stars that led some men,
but a single star. We often refer to them as the Magi, though
astrologers would be a more fitting description of these men. Where
these men were from we don’t know, some say Babylon (modern day Iraq),
some say farther east, but what we do know is they were willing to
follow.
These men, not knowing where they would end up, were willing to
follow. We are not sure how long their journey was or what route
brought them to the house where Jesus was living with his parents.
What they did know is that at the end of their journey, they would be
in the presence of the King whom they were told about. So even though
there were many unknowns, the known kept them following the directions
of the star.
What about us, are we willing to follow? By knowing what is at the
end, being in the presence of the King are we willing to follow the
GPS (God’s Plan for Servants). We are called to go, to leave the old
life behind, the life where we called the shots, to travel a road that
we may not have traveled before. We are called to trust when we feel
one way, but God’s word tells us something else. We are called to
willingly be immersed in water to have our sins forgiven, when the
world tells us to just live a good life. Are we willing to follow?
The Magi didn’t know where they would end up, but they did know what
they were following. We don’t know where we will always end up, but
we can be confident we will end up in the right place when we follow
God’s word. The new year is coming-- a great time to start, or renew
a commitment to know, not what the world tells us God desires, but
what His word says. I have several ways to help you be devoted to
regularly reading the Bible. If you want some guidance or a schedule
let me know. GPS is a great thing. . .if we use it.
Being guided by God, Randy Schilling