2002-05-23 - True North

John 16:13-14 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. ¹⁴ "He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you. (NAS)

To anyone who has done any moderately serious wilderness activity, a compass is a very familiar tool. It has one very crucial task to perform. It points to magnetic north, giving the person using it a consistent bearing to use as a reference. With this bearing, a map can be lined up properly to match up features on a map to determine your location and direction with a fairly high degree of accuracy. Lose your compass in the wilderness and you can be in big trouble.

God has given us a spiritual compass in the person of the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter, the One called along side to help. We are sealed with the holy Spirit of promise, which is the down payment of our inheritance in Heaven. (Eph 1:13) In John 16:13, Jesus describes the Hold Spirit as a guide. He will speak to us things, truths and revelations from the Bible, as we are ready to understand them. He gives us things never too early or too late, but right on time.

The Spirit never points to Himself. A compass that pointed to itself all the time would be no help at all. He points us to the Lord, just as Jesus Christ points us to His Father. This is the way home - Spiritual North if you will. In most areas of the planet, there is a correction that must be made between magnetic north and true north. It's only a few degrees, but it can make a big difference. For an airliner, it can be the difference between a disaster and a safe landing. For a hiker, it can be the difference between safely coming home and needing to be rescued.

A good compass works during bad weather, hot or cold, day or night with very few exceptions. If the information provided by a compass is ignored, the results may not be pleasant. The Holy Spirit will tug on your heart and point you away from trouble. If the instruction is ignored, the results will likely not be pleasant either. The analogy is not complete, but it is a good one. Check your path a few times a day to make sure you are lined up with true north.

Grace & Peace,
Mike

mhoskins@cfdevotionals.org
http://www.cfdevotionals.org