The bible shows us where we’ve been, and even more importantly – it show us where we are going! Like any other instructional book/map, it is not useful unless we read it and then carefully take its directions as instructions for how to get there! Unfortunately, sometimes there is only one viable route to some destinations.
I’m a big fan of paper maps. Google Maps and I have an awful lot of trouble with each other. Sometimes Google is totally inaccurate and hopelessly out of date. However I do enjoy the task of being a navigator. Hubby drives and I read the maps. Basically, I have no problems at all with paper maps. Well, maybe sometimes I have a problem with the fact that the map seems to disappear into the dent between two pages, but aside from that I kind of like them.
Google and I however, will never be friends. We do not seem to be compatible. We’ve christened our GPS Betty, and Betty and I go to war, mainly because Betty is relentless and insistent and often utterly wrong. Her idea is to get us where we’re going as quickly as possible … never mind the fact that you end up weaving in and out through teeny tiny streets in big cities, because BETTY thinks it’s shorter.
She’s also not good at identifying when a new road has been built, so you end up flying because she has no knowledge of any updates to the roads. Our pal Betty hates flying. So she demands – translate that into …NAGS INCESSANTLY – that we leave the road we are on and turn around immediately and go in the other direction. I totally dislike computers telling me what to do. They are supposed to be an AID, and Betty is bossy. I don’t do bossy, especially when I’m smarter than the stupid computer chip.
At the same time I often use dictation when I’m writing my blog, and that ends badly as well. Apparently the computer dictation microphone does not speak my actual language. Actually, I’m not sure it speaks anyone’s language really, because what it types never makes any sense. I can get quite cranky when I’ve gone to all the trouble of dictating and what it appears on the page is totally irrational, grammatically insane, plus irritating to boot! Add to that the fact that I forget what I said 10 seconds ago, this doesn’t make me a very happy camper.
Unfortunately, people with one functioning arm have limited choices. Hubby very obligingly types for me sometimes, but as I speak at the speed of light that doesn’t always work out well either – he feels like he’s chasing a galloping runaway train – down hill! Oh well!
Back to the bible being a road map …my point is that the thing with a map is to follow the directions. And it’s the same when reading His book. Many people have become inordinately fond of choosing a destination without paying attention to the route! Here’s a word for ya – that won’t work when you are engaging with the Lord. Unlike Betty or my computer microphone – He really does know everything!
Let me explain… The Bible says stuff like ‘and all these things will be added on to you.’ But first it says – ‘seek first the kingdom of God!’ If you want the natty addition then you gotta start doing the seeking. Otherwise you will end up like our Betty, promising stuff she can’t deliver, because she’s not up to date with the manufacturer’s instructions. The Bible also says ‘God’s strength is made perfect in weak people.’ So in order to qualify for His strength you have to admit you’re a weak people! I could go on, but you get the gist.
OK, I lied, last one …23rd Psalm – in order to walk with Jesus, the Good Shepherd, through the valley of the shadow of death, as well as fearing no evil, our own feet get to be involved. It does not say we will magically be transported. No, indeed! We get to actually walk through that dreadful vale. However He promises He will be there with us. I check on that fact by asking; ‘are You there Lord?’ – when the ceiling just fell in. It’s the same with that super duper table prepared for us to eat from … you and I gotta eat with our enemies glaring at us! A lot of what Jesus tells us is conditional. Way too many people try to get the prize without meeting the qualifications!
And like Betty our GPS, or the dictation button on the computer … there has to be a level of understanding of the truth if we want to get to our destination. The bible is not a catalogue of things we can pick and choose from. Instead it is a roadmap to show us how to qualify for the things our loving Father has planned for us. HIS TERMS NOT OURS. Catch you later !! 👋🏻
