I love road maps and looking at atlases. I always have some sort of map hanging in my office. One time my family and I were driving home from vacation. Our home was in Montana, and it was already dark by the time we got to Wyoming. I had driven this route many times, so I didn’t use any map or GPS.
As we were going, I began to have a sense of the unfamiliar, not remembering things along the way, but I was still sure that I was on the right path and we would be home soon. Finally, I saw the lights of a town near home. We made it! We are almost home. When we arrived at what made the lights in the clouds, my stomach got a sick feeling. This isn’t home. Where are we? Am I in the Twilight Zone? I stopped at a store, rushed in, and said, “WHERE AM I?” I sensed the uneasiness as the clerk put his hand on his phone. Others started slowly backing away. I calmed myself and asked politely, “What city is this?” “Buffalo Wyoming” they told me. I had driven hundreds of miles in the wrong direction! For a map guy I sure didn’t act like one.
Just as we need a physical map, we need a map to know where we are spiritually. That roadmap is found in the Bible. Joshua 1:7 says, “Do not turn from it (God’s commands) to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” An easy way to remember the roadmap of discipleship is the letters G.P.S., The “G” stands for the GOSPEL the “P” for PARTICIPATE, and the “S” for SERVE. We start out by trusting in the gospel, then we participate in church and Bible studies to grow in our faith. Next, we are to serve in a ministry to help others as they journey like us. Where are you on this map? Don’t go shuffling off to Buffalo spiritually. Stay the course, you won’t regret it. More to come on GPS. – Pastor Phil