Steering

If you’ve ever gone skiing before, you know how exhilarating and beautiful it can be.   However, strapping two pieces of wood to your feet and plummeting down a mountain is not for the faint of heart... so it’s important to learn how first.  The problem with beginning skiers isn’t the forward movement... it’s turning and stopping.  Many rookies wait until they want to move right and then try to turn hard with both feet.  That just doesn’t work and often frustrates them.  What they quickly discover is that they simply need to look to the right and their body will naturally turn that way.  Where they look is the direction they go.  

Scripture tells us similarly that what we see steers us toward what we will do.  In Matthew 6:22, we read ““The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,”   Want to think Godly thoughts?  Put yourself in environments where Christ is seen and lifted up!   Need to steer yourself to a life of obedience?   Put things in place that visually remind you to prioritize your relationship to God over any other.  Keep your head up and your eyes focused on God and His direction for your life... and you’ll find yourself racing down the mountain toward greatness. 

Why Are We Here?

In a Charlie Brown cartoon strip Lucy asks, "Why do you think we're put on earth, Charlie Brown?" Charlie replies, "To make others happy." Lucy says, "I don't think I'm making anyone very happy . . . Of course, nobody's making me very happy either." Then in the final panel, Lucy screams at the top of her lungs, "Hey, somebody's not doing his job!"

Have you ever wondered why we’re put on earth?  Is it Lucy’s reason?  Are others meant to serve us?  Are we meant to always be happy?

No.  God never promises consistent happiness... in fact, He tells us that we will struggle at times:  John 16:33 “ Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows... “

So why are we here?  To endure life?  To simply get through our days?  

Absolutely not.  Life is much sweeter than that!  Charlie Brown had it right... the reason we exist is for others.  It’s why we breathe and it’s why we’ve been given the gifts that we have.  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:7, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” 

He further tells us in Galatians: “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  

Can you imagine a selfless world?  People getting up in the morning just to remind those they do life with that they matter... 

To bring hope to the hopeless...

To mend instead of rip...

To forgive the undeserving...

To provide for someone knowing they could never return the favor...

To make others happy... 

Seem unfair?  Why should we be the ones taking care of others?  What if nobody takes care of us or makes us happy? 

That’s not the mission or the goal.  We aren’t here to always be happy with things... we’re here to be more like Jesus Christ. We’re here to bring Him glory.  We’re here to share His good news.  We’re here to praise Him in the good things and the bad.  We’re here to represent Him to those that don’t know Him.  We’re here to rescue those God puts in our path.  We’re here to love Him without reservation... and we’re here to love those He created even when we don’t agree with them or feel like doing so.  

And when we do these things... God (and He alone) will give us a joy that circumstance can’t take away and people’s opinions can’t tarnish.   The secret to happiness isn’t so secret... 

It all starts with a priority list that has God at the top... others next... and ourselves a distant but blessed third.  

North

An old sailor repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it. The next time he went out in his boat, he followed their advice and took the compass with him. But as usual he became hopelessly confused and was unable to find land. Finally, he was once again rescued by his friends.

Disgusted and impatient with him, they asked, "Why didn’t you use that compass we gave you? You could have saved us a lot of trouble!" 

The sailor responded: "I didn’t dare to! I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept on pointing southeast." 

That old sailor was so certain he knew which way was north, that he stubbornly tried to force his own personal persuasion on his compass. As a result he was unable to benefit from the guidance it offered. 

Sometimes our life gets off course... and we are in desperate need of direction.

So many ask for it.  So few accept the answers they receive. 

The Bible talks about this type of person:

“But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”  James 1:22

I talk to so many who listen to what we teach at Potential Church... read God’s word for further confirmation... and when it comes time to make the decision, decide to go a completely different direction.  

Many blame God for not stepping in and helping... providing no insight or course of action for them.  Not true.  It isn’t God’s unwillingness to lead.. it’s our unwillingness to follow.  

Far too often we know the truth.  We know the way to go.  We understand what God wants us to do. But we don’t want to follow it because it isn’t convenient, easy, or popular.

God has our best interests in mind.  He knows what’s best for us and provides a way for us to live our lives filled with blessings and joy.  Sure there are challenges, but by seeking and following His guidance... He leads us through and strengthens us in the process.

 

God’s word is our compass.  It is always the right way to go.  When we follow it, we stay on course.  When we alter from His direction, we find our lives detached and adrift from His purposes.  North is north and God’s Word will always be the absolute truth.  Feeling lost today?  Not sure which way to turn?  Seek His solution and be bold enough to follow it...  I promise you.. that when you do... where you end up will be the exact right place.