Today’s Blog: Heading True North?
TODAY’S PROVERB: The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. Proverbs 11:3, TLV
When I read this proverb I think of a navigational compass. Do we depend on integrity to be our compass? Or is it something else?
The first step in using any compass is to find “true North.” When the needle in a magnetic compass points North, is that always the true North? No. There are circumstances that can affect the true North reading.
Primary to an accurate reading is that little compass arrow, which is affected by the magnetic pull of the North Pole. Believe it or not, the earth’s magnetic pull shifts. Therefore, the user must determine the magnetic declination — the difference between the magnetic North and the true North — before they can get an accurate place to even begin navigation.
The way to determine that declination is by using other tools, like the position of landmarks, as well as maps with updated declination figures. Only then can the sojourner trust what is truly North.
Where we’re located on the earth can affect the accuracy of a compass. Environment, equipment, and weather, as well.
Using a compass accurately takes practice, skill, and experience. Knowing when to trust what is seen over what the compass shows is an art.
We’re like the compass. Our Heavenly Father places that sense of North in us — to do the right thing. We’re naturally pulled in the direction of integrity, but that’s not enough. We must find the true North and not what the world shows us. The world’s integrity shifts. Events, emotions, and changing morals can play with our compass and alter its accuracy.
The only way to not lose our way, is to adjust our compass to GOD’s true North.
To determine that declination we use the tools He has given us. His word. His Holy Spirit. Wise counsel — those who have traveled this path and experienced the mistakes and successes.
Our inclination is to be a Jesus-follower. To follow His path is good. But, knowing His path is better. That comes with living the Word every day, being accountable to the truth so clearly delineated there. By knowing and living these things, we’re better able to recognize the landmarks and trust in His guidance that will bring us home safely.
May we find “true North,” my friends.
Proverbs 11:3 Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs
