Pastor’s Corner

God’s GPS is good

In the middle of August my wife and I took a trip.

The idea had been stirring around for several months, but every time it would come to mind I would push it back, partly because my wife and I don’t travel well and partly because I wasn’t sure how it could all be arranged with the job responsibilities my wife and I have. I’ve never been away from the church other than once for an operation and once for being sick in the almost 18 years we’ve been there.

As time went on, the idea wouldn’t leave me alone so I mentioned it to my wife who said what I had been thinking, we didn’t see how it could come together.

After my brother and his wife went on vacation to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone and came back and shared with everyone what a good time they had and how they enjoyed the trip I told my wife we ought to go. I’d like to go see “Jellystone,” who knows, maybe I’d get to see Yogi while we were there. Oh, and by the way, I have a friend in Idaho and another in Oregon we can visit while we’re out that way.

It wasn’t long before the Lord moved on someone and took away the only excuse I was holding onto - who would preach while I was gone? So, one thing after another fell into place and we were seriously planning the trip. Someone mentioned since we were going to Yellowstone, we ought to go see Mt. Rushmore, and someone else said if we were going to Rushmore, we ought to take in the Corn Palace and suddenly we had this whole itinerary of places to go and things to see.

I spent a bit of time laying out our route as I was sure things had changed a bit since we were out that way 18 years ago, and while talking with someone about it, they offered to loan me their GPS unit.

I politely declined the offer as I don’t have a very high opinion of a device that will lay out a 15-mile plus route for a 10-mile trip, from my house to Rogers. I’m sure anyone who has used a GPS unit can tell all kinds of horror stories about the (in)accuracy of the directions no matter what brand of unit you are using.

As my wife and I found out - after back tracking for an hour in one case - road maps (even Google maps) and road signs aren’t as accurate as one would like either.

I want to tell everyone of a couple of GPS systems brought to our attention on our trip that we consider to befail-safe, we can rely and trust in them implicitly. They are: God’s Plan for Salvation and God’s Protection System.

I’m sure most who read this is familiar with God’s Plan for Salvation but just in case you might not be it’s found in the following verses:

Romans 3:10: “As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.”

Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heartthat God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

In case you might wonder why God put this plan in place the reasons can be found in these verses:

Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Unlike our GPS systems and maps, you can trust the GPS systems designed and implemented by God implicitly without worry you will be led in the wrong direction. Perhaps, Lord willing, next month I’ll tell you how we learned about God’s Protection System.

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Editor’s note: Charlie Newman is pastor of Avoca Christian Church. To contact him, e-mail pastor@pastorcharlie.

net, or write in care of The Times at prtnews@nwaonline com or P.O. Box 25, Pea Ridge, AR 72751.

Church, Pages 2 on 09/28/2011