[Biblemat] S) NAVIGATING FOR OTHER PEOPLE

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study that rec-
ently came my way.  Use to the glory of God.

NAVIGATING FOR OTHER PEOPLE

     A source unknown to me once said, "No man is an island
unto himself."  I think, no matter who said it, that is right.  God created 
us social beings with the ability and need to inter-
act with others.

     When Jesus called His disciples He said, "Follow Me, and 
I will make you fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19).  In the sermon on
the mount Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth...You are
the light of the world" (Matt. 7:13,14).  In Mk. 16:15 Jesus commanded, "Go 
into all the world and preach the gospel to
all creation."  In each of these passages Jesus leaves little
doubt that His disciples are to influence men.

     I think we are more than a little shy about that.  I think we
are sometimes afraid to share our convictions because we
might find ourselves disagreeing.  By the way, who said that
disagreeing was necessarily and always a bad thing?  Differ-
ence can and should lead to honest and sincere investigation
and investigation to truth and truth is the solution to proble-
ms and the resolution of differences.  Well, I like to have side-
tracked myself there.  Let's get back to my original point and
focus of this article...

     Jesus wants His disciples to influence men.  I like the illust-
ration of a navigator here.  I believe a disciple of Jesus, as in
influencer of men, should be a navigator.  A navigator does 
at least five things:

     1. A Navigator Identifies The Destination: -- He's the guy
that takes you from where you are to where you want to be.
Paul observed that "our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20)
and spent his life trying to get other people to catch a vision
of his destination.

     2. A Navigator Plots The Course: -- There must be some
way to get from point "A" to point "B".  The Savior said, "I am
the way...no one comes to the Father but through Me" (Jno.
14:6).  So, Jesus is the course and a good navigator who is
going to put you on track with the Lord.

     3. A Navigator Thinks Ahead: -- Jesus never promised that
being a Christian would be without problems and obstacles.
I think the Bible calls them "stumbling blocks" (Rom. 14:13; cf
Matt. 18:6).  A good navigator will, wherever possible, look
ahead and identify these sources of stumbling.  To be fore-
warned is to be forearmed.

     4. A Navigator Makes Course Corrections: -- Once having
identified the obstacles you have to figure away around, over,
or under the problem.  A good navigator passesses some-
thing many others do not -- experience.  Having experience
and a certain level of spiritual maturity usually qualifies one to help 
others through their problems...

     5. A Navigator Stays With People: -- You wouldn't expect
a navigator to "jump ship" just as you were facing a crisis.  In
times of trouble is when you need a navigator the most.  So,
a good navigator is going to be with you "through thick and
thin."  He's not going to abandon you in the hour of trial.

     Jesus wants His people to make a difference in the lives
of others.  I know of no better way that we can accomplish this than to be a 
navigator for others.  Show them the way
from earth to heaven, from the world to Jesus.  Help them
identify the problems that stand in their way and stay with
them, showing them how to work around and over the obstac-
les to become what God wants us to be.  Don't give up the
ship.     ------ The Jackson Drive Reporter, Jan. 07, 2007.

(With regard to the idea of a navigator, a captain of a ship was once asked, 
as he was guiding his ship through a narrow
channel with rocks on either side, "Do you know where every
rock is?"  He replied, "no, but I know where the channel is."
We want to have a navigator that knows where the safe chan-
nel is to guide us through this life.  We may have many people that claim to 
be navigators that want to guide us along
the way from earth to heaven.  But, seemingly, most of them
do not know where the safe channel is or else they do not
care to take the time to learn where that channel is.  There is
only one way from earth to heaven and that is to follow the
compass (Bible) through the safe channel of life, JWS).
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