The Bible- A Tool for Navigating Life

The Bible- A Tool for Navigating Life

“Life in the modern world is like trying to navigate an uncharted,

rapidly changing, unpredictable ocean. We have sailed off the edge of our maps.”(p. 53) We need to have a fixed unchanging reference point. For navigation it is the North Star. For believers, it is God, made known to us in Jesus Christ. As Christians we know that the Bible enables us to reach our God intended destination. But it is true that we need more than knowledge of it as a tool, we need to use properly. And we need to adopt the attitude of Jesus to scripture so that we may shape our attitude to God’s Word.

The Bible focuses on the central theme of Jesus- with his teaching, choices and suffering. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry he encounters Satan and through this we learn of Jesus’ uniqueness. His focus is on ministry and teaching and avoids temptation using scripture to lead and guide him. But mostly Jesus trusts. The third navigational principle is trusting God.

But how does one navigate life using the Bible- God’s Word?

1) requires a deep confidence in the scripture and that it has an enduring authority

2) requires a working knowledge of God’s Word; how does the meaning of

 scripture determine significance in one’s life.

3)requires a lifestyle of obedience to the Word of God

Psalm 119:9, 11:

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word...

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Knowing the words of scripture includes memorizing key passages. But it not enough to know the words, we need to steer by it. James 1:22   “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

REFLECTION:
Many families who are Christian have several copies of the Bible in their homes. Yet, few family members actually take time to read the Bible or listen to Bible stories on a regular basis. Few children and young people are unsure of the stories of creation. Fall, or Jesus’ life and death. Do you think this has bearing on what is happening in our world today where there seems to be a clear path or direction displayed in our everyday living? How might this be changed?

Reflect on navigating God’s Word and the requirements to do this noted above. How does your reading the Bible help you where you are right now in your life?

PRAYER

The words of life seem to be disappearing from ur vocabulary. Help us to pick up copies of the bible for our own use and navigation. Show us your Word for us today. Amen..

This reflection is based upon some ideas offered by Gary Inrig in his book, True North: Discovering God’s Way in a Changing World,  Discovery House Publishers, 2002; ch.3

Canadian Bible Society presents “Bible Week” resources for October and November 2014.This is a seven day focus on God’s Word for churches and individuals. Each day, walk through a short devotion designed to help you appreciate God’s Word and to take action. To register for free go to biblesociety.ca/bible-week