Reading your Map

Pastor Duck's Devotional 

Taiwan Church News 2633, August 18, 2002 

Translated by David Alexander 

If we live by the Spirit, we will also be guided by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25) 

One Sunday afternoon A-tat and his girlfriend decided to go hiking on Yang ming shan. They packed several bottles of water wore sturdy shoes. Of course, each took things that the other thought were unnecessary for a hike. He carried a butterfly net, which she thought he didn't need, and she had a map, which A-tat thought ridiculous. 

They hiked for several hours, from paved roads to dirt roads to footpaths and finally followed animal trails. When it was time to return to the bus stop to go down to Taipei City, A-tat wanted to take what he thought would be a "short cut". His girlfriend reached for her map, but he refused to look at it or listen to her ideas. 

Eventually they got lost. The police and park rangers had to find and rescue them. 

Many people's spiritual life is like that. We may want to live the full freedom of Christ, so go exploring challenging mission opportunities. We may want to deeply understand the words in the Bible, so delve into linguistic and comparative theological arguments. Many a person has become lost along the way. 

When we live by the Spirit, however, we have a guide. Better than a printed map, the Spirit is a living, loving, leading companion. And we are not lost. 

Prayer: Guiding Spirit, lead us home. AMEN 

For more information: Pastor Duck pctpress@ms1.hinet.net