Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Acts 17:11 They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily.
THE CHRISTIAN COURSE: THE WORD GUIDES US (2)
There are still some today who learn and practice the art of ancient Polynesian navigation by which they are able to navigate great areas of open ocean without the aid of any kind of advanced technology, maps, or instrumentation. Through the years this knowledge has traditionally been passed down from navigator to apprentice.
I once remember reading about a navigator who took his apprentice on a 7,000 mile journey across the ocean. Just in case the apprentice assumed he now knew everything there was to know about his art after this lengthy journey, the master navigator said to his apprentice that he had done well on his journey and that everything he needed to see was already right there in the ocean before him, but it would probably take him twenty more years to see it.
Isn't that a bit like the Christian course that we follow? God has given us everything we need to know right there in the Bible and yet it is a gradual process by which we grow as Christians. In fact, it is a life-long process which will only come to completion once we reach the perfection of the life to come. That is why it is so important to study God's Word on a regular basis -- yes, on a daily basis. Every day that we live in this world, we still have much to learn. Every day that we live in this world, God's Word has something it can teach us about the course of this life. Most of all, because of our daily sins, we can never be reminded enough about our forgiveness in Jesus.
