Skip to main content

Step By Step

 
 There is a new phenomenon that some are calling death by GPS, deaths of people attributable, in part, to following GPS directions or GPS maps. Global positioning system or GPS is a revolutionary technology developed for the military that now is used by millions in car navigation systems and programs like Google Maps. They allow the computer to navigate a person with step-by-step directions on their travel.

  The problem is the directions are not always spot on and in some places, like Death Valley or Joshua Tree Park, it can lead to death. People are reluctant to deviate from the prescribed path even when what was in front of them, such as road signs and signals, barriers, and terrain warn them of continuing.

  Following in another’s steps is great but only when the one laying them out knows where they are at and where they are going.

  This is an issue in religion today. Many follow a path because a leader or family member has told them this is the direction to follow. Some blindly move forward ignoring signs that this way may not be the way. That misplaced trust may lead us into danger

  The steps of the one that walks before us are only as good as they follow the information given. A GPS that has bad data or a weak signal may turn us down the wrong path.  A doctrine that is out of tune with the Scripture or corrupted with man-made ideas will do the same.

  That is why we need to make sure the ones we follow are on the path Christ has laid down. It's in his steps we will find the way to heaven. Following others is only good if they are truly following Christ.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why Does A Lion Tamer Use a Chair?

  Ok, I know you have seen the image. A lion tamer enters in the cage of the beast and forces it to obey his commands using a whip, a gun and a chair. Now you can see how the whip and gun could come in handy but you might be wondering why a chair would intimidate an animal as powerful as a lion? Clyde Beatty taming a lion with a chair   It's not that the lion is afraid of the chair -- it's that the lion is confused by the chair. Cats are single-minded, and the points of the chair's four legs bobbing around confuse the lion enough that it loses its train of thought. Casually put, the chair distracts the lion from wanting to claw the lion tamer's face off. The powerful creature could destroy the chair in moment’s notice but instead it is distracted into submission.  It’s not too much different than how Satan controls us today. By the power of God we could overcome anything that he would use to subdue us. We can overcome the evil one (1 st John 2:13-14). ...

The Right to Arm Bears

  In the book of 2 nd Kings 2, we have one of the most unusual, violent and curious passages in scripture. It involves the prophet Elisha siccing a couple of bears on some kids that were mocking his bald head.    As a guy that is a little light on top that has been around some surly kids, I can feel for the guy. But seriously a bear attack? On kids? What is going on? ….young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, "Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!"  When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number. 2 nd Kings 2:23-25  It might help to explore the passage a bit more. The baldhead statement: This was an identifying mark of the prophet as opposed to Elijah who was hairy (1st Kings 1:8) a jab to say you are not him. The taunt to go up: Elijah has just been taken into heaven by the Lord a sight seen by ...

The Mighty Gulf

  It is hard to get people on two sides of an issue to come together. Each has their own viewpoint, their perceptive, their own foibles, their own understanding.  To gain any common ground there must be something in common. Something or someone that can bridge the gulf between the two.   Could there be a greater gulf than there was between God and man? How could a holy perfect God find a way to connect to the fallen, imperfect mankind? How can one without temptation connect to those who are beset by it? How could limited mortal beings understand an omnipotent eternal God?   In 1 Timothy 2:5, we read, “ For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus .” The phrase mediator here describes a person that bridges the gap, a go-between. Jesus was one who could stand in both worlds. A perfect holy one who can understand our temptations, a man who would die yet live eternally, One who was God yet became flesh and dwelt among us. ...