Discovering Your Life Map
2 Timothy 3:16-17
I had been the pastor of Georgetown United Methodist church for just over twenty-four hours when the call came into the church office. One of the long time members of the church was headed to Meadowview regional medical center in Maysville. She had a heart attack and needed immediate treatment. I promised to be there as soon as I could and hung up the phone.
As I placed the phone’s receiver on the cradle, it dawned on me, I did not know where, Meadowview medical center was located, in fact I did not know where Maysville. was located.
I phoned my part time secretary. She hurriedly gave me directions. I wrote them down quickly, and jumped into my horizon and started driving. I followed her guidance exactly. However, I never saw a sign for Maysville, but, trusting the directions I kept driving, until I discovered instead of coming into Maysville, I was coming into the north east corner of Cincinnati. I turned around and began to retrace my path until I arrived home, only to find Bonnie’s apologetic message on my answering service. She realize after she hung up, instead of telling me to turn left on to state route 52, she said turn right. Just one little mistake, but I ended up in the wrong place, all because of one little mistake.
After my long afternoon drive and tour of northern Cincinnati, I purchased a map.
But I have discovered my life is like that at times. I listen to the advise of people, I try to follow it a closely as possible, but I still end up at the wrong place.
I don’t like being in the wrong place; do you? We all want to end up in the place we planned of traveling to. That afternoon in December I was planning of going to Maysville, and spending some time with a woman who was in pain. Instead I ended up back at my house, with an empty gas tank, and no visit made.
T.S. Have you felt that way, to took the advise of someone you trusted, but ended up with in life with an empty tank right back where you started.
At those times I think, wouldn’t be great if we had a map for life, you know a life map.
What a great gift that would be to have a map to help us maneuver our way though life.
What could a map like that do for us? A life map should provide directions when you are lost.
I cannot tell you number of times I have been traveling and missed my turn. I drive on a little ways, and begin to feel something is wrong. I open the map only to discover I needed to turn a few miles back. So I back track and find the turn. I fell so much more relaxed knowing I back on the right road.
If there was a life map it would help the lost to find their way.
If God was to give us a life map it would be filled with directions to help us find our way.
2 timothy 3:16
16 All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of god may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Did you hear it, all scripture, that is the bible, is God-breathed. God, the one who created you, has given you a map for life. In it’s words are the very breathe of God. It is useful for correction. Not scolding, not putting you down, not beating you up. It is useful for putting you back on the right road. Don’t we all want to be on the right road? Your triple A trip tick can’t do that. God is all about helping us, not hurting us. Listen to the breathe of god,
John 3:17
For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
God wants you to find the right road. He knows caring people can misdirect us. Everyone seems ready to tell us where to go, and how to get there. From Oprah to doctor Phil. Every Jerry Springer ends his mockery of television everyday with a closing word of advice. In a time when we are bombarded with suggestions for how we should live, God offers us His word. A word tried and tested in the fire of real life. Listen to the witness of Paul, the man, who was led by God to write those words.
2 Tim 1:13-14
13 what you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in christ jesus. 14 guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the holy spirit who lives in us.
Why was he so concerned with keeping this sound teaching, he knew this was the life map. This map had led him through life and was still directing his life as he closed in on death.
2 Timothy 4:6-7
6 for I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
T.S. Not only would my life map put me on the right road by correcting me. It
Would confirm me when I am on the right road.
A life map should confirm you when you are right.
Have you ever stopped at a rest stop and checked the map hanging behind the plate glass just to make sure you were still on the right road? I find myself doing it, even when I know I am on the correct path. It is just a matter of habit.
If god was to give me a life map, I would want it to confirm me when I was on the right path.
Listen again to God’s word for us this morning.
2 timothy 3:16 (Good News)
All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living.
God says to us this morning. I want to give you instruction in right living. God wants to confirm me when I am living right, he does that through instructing me in what right living looks like. If I never knew what right living looked like, I would never know if I was living it out. God wants to confirm my right living.
T.S. I not only would like a map that helped me when I am lost, and confirm me when I am right, I like a map that helped me stay on the right path.
A life map should coach me to make right decisions.
As I read a map I am looking for it to teach me how to get from point A to point A. I like the fact it can help me when I am lost to find my way back, but to tell the truth, I don’t like to get lost in the first place. I really like the fact it can confirm I am on the right road. But for a map to really be useful to me, it has to teach me. When I was at Georgetown, I always would pull out my map and begin to chart me course before I left the house. I needed to be coached or taught how to get around. When I came here, I needed a map to learn where your homes were.
My life map needed to be able to teach me.
Listen again to the words of Paul as in instructed his friend and fellow Christ follower, Timothy.
2 Timothy 3:16
16 All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
All scripture is useful for teaching. I don’t know about you but I would rather learn my lessons about life in the pages of this book, then to learn them in the school of hard knocks. I have had enough hard knocks to last a lifetime, how about you.
Conclusion:
I have discovered just one little mistake can take me miles off course. Just confusing one little left for a right, will lead me down a path I never planned to travel.
God knows how easy it is for me to get lost, so he has lovingly given me a life map. A map that help put me back on the right road, a map that confirms me when I am on the right road, and a map that teaching me before I leave on the trip. God has given me this great map, but here is the really great news, he has given you the same map.
Take your map chart your course, because we are in an amazing race, and you cannot win without the right map.
