Perspectives

One of the oldest instruments for navigation has been the magnetic compass. It is a vital tool that allows ships to steer a given course. However, people who depend on accurate navigational instruments soon find out that a magnetic compass needle does not always point accurately to Earth’s true north. When I was in the navy we noticed that the magnetic field of the iron hull of our ship, a Destroyer Escort, affected the compass accuracy. Just as the ship’s compass is affected by the iron in the ship’s hull, so my Christian walk is affected by all the voices out there trying to persuade me or to confuse me into believing that faith in God is really not necessary.

These folks, who want to create confusion in our minds and tempt us to downgrade our faith, can be very persuasive at times. If we listen long enough to their type of reasoning, we might be tempted to go it without Jesus Christ as our guide, and His Word (the Bible) as our compass. When we latch on to that sort of thinking, there is a real possibility we might just wander aimlessly with no sense of direction, especially when life deals harshly with us.

Question: Do we want favour with God, other people, other countries, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense? Then we must trust the Lord completely; never to trust our own judgment. To most Christian’s this would be good advice, but it isn’t always that easy for me. In fact, there are times when I find it hard to do just that. Rather then leaning on Christ for guidance I find it so tempting to do it my way.

Ever find your judgment to be questionable? By that I mean, you say to yourself, “I should have known better.” Isn’t it true that we often by-pass the advice we could get from Scripture before we make important decisions? Well it seemed so reasonable at the time to do things my way; after all, I have spent some time thinking about it, so why shouldn’t it work. But time and again it just doesn’t turn out the way it was suppose to. Then I do the next silly thing, I wonder why things turned out so lousy.

Here is a thought: You and I have been taught to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. That means our love for ourselves is the foundation, or maybe I should say the comparison for how we are to love others. Now in Remembrance Day services we usually quote John 15:13. . . Greater love bath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends . . . Here we have a principle where we see this relationship move to a much deeper level than mere friendship. Now let me insert another thought right here . . . Proverbs 3:5-6 . . . 5) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6) in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

When we as a country . . . I mean Canada as a whole . . . see the rest of the world as our friend, we will disregard all the rubbish that is being said. We may even go so far as to disregard the pain of personal sacrifice. And there is a very good chance that we will disregard the fact that they are not even our own countrymen. Soldiers, Sailors, Air Force and Arm Force personnel do just that, they go, even if that sacrifice means death.

There are times when our country; and perhaps all of us are in a rush to go somewhere without a clear idea of what God wants us to do. Perhaps we should sit back and do what should come naturally to all of us, and that is to pray. In everything we do, we must learn the lesson to put God first. When we do that, God can direct and crown our effort, our government, and our country with success. Let’s not be conceited, so sure of our own wisdom. Instead, let’s learn to trust and revere Jesus Christ as our Lord. Then He will give us the renewed strength and ambition we need so that we can achieve our goals, and also the power to say no to the things that are bad for us.

This month we will observe Remembrance Day: Like a compass needle, which though spins around, will always come to rest pointing north. Where does our mind point when it is idle, when it is not busy? Do we really acknowledge those who serve in war or in peace? Do we acknowledge Christ? We are to be ever mindful of God and serve him with a willing and faithful heart.

Would you pray this prayer with me . . . “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I don’t have peace in my heart. I really want that peace, joy and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen