Once before, after our Wednesday Morning Bible Study, we went to the Bible Society in Kempton Park and from there, using the iPhone’s GPS, to Rennie Street, Benoni, Agricultural Holdings. The iPhone relies on an internal Assisted GPS (AGPS) chip to determine one’s location. This feature comes built into the iPhone so one does not need to install it. This system is faster than a traditional GPS, since it creates an approximation of your location based on satellite information. It worked wonderfully and got us from the Bible Society to the intended venue without any directional problems. The roads in the Agricultural Holdings area were filled with potholes, but we arrived their safely. Today we made the same trip. From the Bible Society in Kempton Park, using the iPhone’s GPS we were on our way to Rennie Street. The same address as last time. It’s the address in the iPhone’s contact list … and we landed up at Rennie Street, Rynfield. What happened is beyond my comprehension. Lost … indeed! I called the caregiver of the lady we were to see saying we were lost and would be late. She tried to help unsuccessfully. I turned from Rennie Street into Goodman Street and saw a gentleman walking from a house … in the rain. I stopped him, apologizing and asking for directions. He said there is another Rennie Street and I should come to his house and he would check his map book. He quickly found the right Rennie Street, took a page from an examination pad and drew directions for me to follow … and 14 minutes later we were at our venue. What I struggled with getting lost trying to find Rennie Street was the fact that there were no potholes in the roads. Then, on the way to the correct Rennie Street we found all the potholes covered up. It seems as though the municipality dumped loads of grey gravel on the roads and graded it. It was quite a relief arriving at the correct venue as Jenny and I were to have the Lord’s Supper with the lady we were visiting and her caregiver.
GPS Directions. I cannot tell what happened as the postal code for the Agricultural Holdings that I used is different to that of Rynfield. I have never had this happen before … being taken to the incorrect venue. Is it possible that it read my location data incorrectly or was there some fault on my side that I was not aware of? There is one GPS direction that can never give the wrong information and that is the gospel. The Gospel’s Precise Solution (GPS) is never wrong. You see, it gives us accurate directions to heaven and to avoid the disaster of hell. The first stage is to understand
Jn 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
In your heart you need to establish this. Without Jesus there is no heaven! The next stage on the journey is to acknowledge
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
and this includes you and me! I am a sinner. I have offended God. I can never make right with God without Jesus Christ! You see, Jesus is God’s one and only Rescue Plan for man. This is why Jesus said … “No one comes to the Father except through me.” So I get it that I am a sinner and in a hopeless situation … and my only possible help is Jesus. The next three stages on the GPS’s travels is that I
Ac 26:20 “repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.”
Repent means to turn away from the world, the flesh and the devil … that is, the way of sin. Turn from the old way of living … the rebellious and sinful lifestyle … the values of this world. Then follows turning to God! Turning away from the sinful life (idolatry) and turning to God. This would include believing God is everything the Bible says He is, loving Him, Obeying Him, Serving Him, Trusting Him, Worshipping Him … and living under His Reign and Lordship. Then look what follows … “prove their repentance by their deeds”. You don’t do good deeds to get into heaven … you do good deeds to prove your salvation! This GPS is never wrong!
Help from a total stranger. What happens when the Gospel’s Precise Solution (GPS) does not work for you? There is nothing wrong with it … you just can’t get it to do what you expect it to do. What then? You ask for help. The man who helped me was a total stranger yet he hauled out his map book and soon set me on the right path. But … he would not have helped me without me asking. When you don’t seem to be able to navigate the spiritual pathway to glory you need to ask for help. No one will be little you or ignore you. Once you ask a Christian for spiritual help, they will eagerly and willingly come to your assistance.
Closed up Potholes. There are times when you start out on the Christian journey, you find all types of obstacles (potholes) in the way. The potholes in Rennie Street were huge, were many and were deep. One needed to shift onto the pavement at times, then onto the wrong side of the road, then almost travel across the road, zigzagging … it was difficult. You needed to stay glued to the road to prevent damaging your tyres and car. Spiritually, when you follow the Gospel’s Precise Solution (GPS) correctly you will find the potholes disappear more and more … and even should a few remain, you will negotiate them far easier.
Delightful visit. Our visit was a delightful one. We enjoyed the Lord’s Supper after meditating upon the Word of God and prayer. We had a delightful and refreshing time of fellowship. Because all four of us, the lady we visited, her care giver, Jenny and I have all followed God’s GPS (God’s Gospel’s Precise Solution). You see, we all love Jesus as Lord and King and are able to enjoy communion and community around the Word with God being present. It’s wonderful when people can enjoy each other because we are well and truly on the journey to glory.
Dear God, for laying before us the way of salvation and bringing people across our pathway to steer us, we are ever grateful. Father help us to be a help and delight to those who falter due to hitting spiritual potholes along life’s travels. Lord help us who are mature in the faith to stand by and assist those who are still lambs so that together we will all be ready to step off this planet and arrive in glory to the praise of Your blessed and holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.