blog: How A Road Map Can Save You Life…
Before the days of GPS devices and online mapping programs we used paper road maps to locate our destination. As a young driver I learned early on the value of owning and using a map. With a street map of the area I could drive to any street address in the country, but these maps were not without challenges. The large size and the fine print made it difficult to see and open in the car. The car dome light was seldom bright enough to check a reference point at night. Trying to read a map while driving was not illegal even though it is far more dangerous than texting while driving which is also a very bad idea.
The safest way to use a map was to locate your destination, highlight the route, study and review the route and strategically fold the map so that only the needed information was visible for easy reference. By using a ruler and the map scale you could estimate the distance in miles and approximate your driving time. Personally, I loved using a map and made it a personal challenge to drive directly to my destination without getting off track or lost. Nevertheless, there were a few missed turns and circling the block that were often followed by the wife saying, “why don’t you pull over and ask someone for directions?”
As most men know, asking for directions is a last resort option. Asking the gas station attendant, convenience store cashier or a pedestrian waiting for a bus to give you directions is like admitting defeat. After all, everything you need to know is on that map in your hands. Just pull over review the information and you will arrive safely at your destination.
Unfortunately, sometimes we do get lost and must ask others for directions. My experience with this has been hit and miss. When asking for directions to Bridge Road the attendant says, “Bridge Road, it’s the 3rd traffic light just down the Highway, can’t miss it!”
The cashier says, “Bridge Road, you passed it up. It’s about 5 miles back. You must have been sleeping at the wheel to miss that street.
The pedestrian at the bus stop says, “Bridge Road, there is no Bridge Road around here, but there’s a “Bridget Street ” about 6 blocks up the road.”
Just think how indispensable road maps were and still are when driving to an unfamiliar destination. Sure you can always stop and ask someone for directions, but unless that person is a Cartographer you are liable to get bad directions. By reading and studying the road map in advance you can see exactly where you are going and how to arrive at your destination safely. By referencing the road map on your journey you can stay on the right road, limit those wrong turns, and avoid dead end streets and getting lost.
When traveling to heaven the best road map in the world is the Bible, but it is of no value if you fail to read, study and follow its directions. You can waste your life traveling down the wrong road thinking your on the highway to heaven and all the while headed in the wrong direction. You can ask others how to get to heaven and hear a thousands different directions that sound right, but may be wrong. But you would not know they are wrong or right if you haven’t carefully studied the directions and highlighted the correct route in your Bible.
In this life we will travel only once to our final destination. There will be no second trips; just one life, one journey and one destination. The Bible provides clear directions on how to get to heaven and arrive safely. It is very unwise to rely on others to point us in the right direction, especial when you can read the road map yourself. Think about it, the most important road trip of a lifetime leads to your eternal destination. No one can afford to go down the wrong road and get lost—so don’t. Read the Bible, study it every day and discover for yourself how to get to Heaven.
It is extremely popular today among travelers to disregard the Bible and kind of go with the flow of traffic. Taking the time to read the biblical road map to eternal life and our heavenly destination is not considered cool. Talking to much about the Bible’s directions to heaven can cause family, friends and acquaintances to mark you as an annoying idiot – the least likely person to be welcomed or invited to anything. In some instances, talking about the road map to heaven has led to total ostracization.
No one likes to hear they are on the wrong road unless they are looking for the right one. It kind of insults our pride and intelligence to hear the road we have chosen does not lead to heaven.
Driving from the east coast to the west coast takes a few days. Most anyone making the trip would carefully study and review a paper map, online map or GPS device prior to leaving. Only an irresponsible person is going to attempt the journey without mapping out the correct rout.
Heaven is a little further than crossing the country and for most of us it takes years of traveling life’s roads to reach our final destination. I would submit to you that failing to map out your journey will guarantee that you spend your life traveling down the wrong roads, making wrong turns, and arriving at an eternal destination you never believed existed – eternally lost and separated from the glorious presence of our loving God.
Here’s something to consider if you need to get on the right road:
Make a plan and a commitment this very moment (specific time and date) to map out your final destination.
Begin reading and studying the Bible for directions. Calculate where you are and how to get on the right road to heaven. All the information you need is in that book. It’s up to you to follow its directions to heaven or not.
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