I was driving back from Dekalb the other day and I figured out Joyce, who was riding along with me, is a bad influence.
It’s a long story, but Joyce is what I call my GPS unit. When I’m going somewhere that I don’t know, Joyce tells me where to go.
Joyce is usually right. And, we get along okay. I don’t generally rebel.
The trouble with simply obeying Joyce is that I never learn the map. So, I always rely strictly on the rules she gives without understanding the overall picture. Joyce barks out orders. And, I don’t generally look at the big picture.
Sometimes we as Christians try and live the Christian life by listening to a legalistic version of Joyce rather than by learning the map. If all we do is follow a verbal set of instructions, we’re bound to lose our way when the rules don’t allow for the detours that come up in life.
Rather than living rigidly by a legalistic list, Christians should pray Philippians 1:9-11, Lord, this is our prayer that our love would grow increasingly in knowledge and depth of insight so that we would discern what is best and be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ to the glory and praise of God.
Don’t just follow a legalistic GPS that sits on your dashboard and tells you what to do. Learn the map by immersing yourself in the Word so that you’re able to test and approve what God’s will is –his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Amen.
Good example! I followed a legalistic GPS growing up. A series of instructions that didn’t always make sense. It also caused me to believe that everyone on different roads were not going to get to the same destination (and I do mean other true believers). And I ended up on some very wrong roads at the detours. The more I zoom out to see the whole map, the more I am able to see which road is running parallel to mine and which are heading off another direction entirely. Perhaps we’re so terrified of ending up on a freeway headed south, instead of a secondary road headed north we stick to the GPS even at the detours and have a car wreck instead of just taking the next block!
We had 2 sets of visitors this summer trying to find our house by GPS – that sent them to a road which was closed off 2 years ago (which was the long way around anyway), and the American GPS called our street the wrong name – no wonder they were lost.
Good analogy. Praying I will ‘zoom out’ and try and read the whole map (Bible) from God’s perspective.
(did I understand your analogy at all?)