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GPS
Many
travelers today use a “GPS” to help them reach
their destination.
GPS stands for “Global Positioning System.”
According to the Garmin Company website, “The
Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based
navigation system made up of a network of 24
satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of
Defense. GPS was originally intended for military
applications, but in the 1980s, the government made
the system available for civilian use.”
The
Garmin Company also gives an explanation of how the
GPS works: “GPS satellites circle the earth twice a
day in a very precise orbit and transmit signal
information to earth. GPS receivers take this
information and use triangulation to calculate the
user's exact location. Essentially, the GPS receiver
compares the time a signal was transmitted by a
satellite with the time it was received. The time
difference tells the GPS receiver how far away the
satellite is. Now, with distance measurements from a
few more satellites, the receiver can determine the
user's position and display it on the unit's
electronic map.” *
Isn’t
it fascinating how satellites “in the heavens” are
used to determine our location on Earth and gives
guidance as to travel routes that we can use to reach
particular areas!
Yet,
the use of the GPS illustrates the fact that we ALL
need guidance from Heaven above!
Long ago, the prophet Jeremiah exclaimed: “O
LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is
not in man who walks to direct his own steps”
(10:23).
What
you and I need is “God’s
Positioning System”
For God knows where we are, where we need to
be, and how to get there.
As we consult the divine GPS (God’s Word,
Psalm 119:105), we can answer the following questions:
-
Where
are we? We
are "in
Sin."
Due to our wrong choices, we are guilty of
sin (James 1:13-15).
Due to our sins, we are lost and doomed,
for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
-
Where
do we need to be?
We need to be “in Christ.”
In Christ, “we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians
1:7). Those
“in Christ” can look forward to living
eternally with God in heaven (Romans 6:23).
-
How
do we get there?
We
“get there” in and through Christ.
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me” (John 14:6).
One who puts his trust
in Christ (Acts 16:30-31), turns from his sins in repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), and confesses
Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and is baptized
(immersed) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38)
is placed by God “in Christ” (Galatians
3:26-27). Then,
as long as one remains faithful to Christ, the
promise is that one day – by the grace of God
– he will enter into heaven (1 John 1:7;
Revelation 2:10).
According
to “God’s
Positioning System” - the divine
GPS, where are YOU?
Won’t
YOU submit your life to
Christ so that you can be found in Him and on your way
to heaven? (Philippians 3:9)
--
David
A. Sargent, Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
*
From the Garmin Company website -- http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/
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