Your Point of Reference!
What is your point of reference?
Where are you at present?
Where are you going?
Many in the world, and especially among believers, are walking aimlessly and they don’t know where they are going. Many also don’t have a point of reference. For most, what they had heard growing up in a home is the reference. For a few others, their friends have a strong hold on them and as a result, every decision they take, they want to make sure that it is approved by their friends. We all seek advice, especially spiritual advice, and the advice is sound and fitting as long as it comes from an individual whose point of reference is God and whose walk is with the principles of God. It will be dangerous to heed the advice of someone within the family or in our friendship circles if those advisors are believers in “name only” but bear no fruit of their walk with God.
A Compass!
A compass is a device for determining directions employing a magnetic needle or a group of needles turning freely on a pivot and pointing to the magnetic north. Jesus, sent by the Father, came to the earth and offered His life on the cross solely to transform us, lead us, and direct us to God’s purpose. JESUS IS THE TRUE NORTH!
The word “compass” comes from the Hebrew root word which leads to the meanings of “conscience,” “hidden,” and “north.” Metaphorically, the “Compass” is the “hidden divine conscience” for our life with God’s mission and purpose. We must know where we are and where we want to go. As the compass is used together with a map, chert, or GPS, God’s “True North” brings us to the point of reference, and the Holy Spirit then leads and guides us into the unknown and undiscovered region of life. God’s purpose defined by the Holy Spirit becomes our purpose in life, as we truly desire what God desires. Our decisions and actions are based on the guidance we receive from the “True North” and following that guidance with our obedience and surrender.
A Believer’s Personal Point of Reference!
What is the believer’s point of reference?
The CROSS of Christ!
There are two distinct aspects of the cross we must not ignore:
1) We must come to the Cross for our reconciliation: “For it pleased the Father that in (Christ) all the fullness should dwell, and by (Christ) to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20-21). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).
2) We must carry our cross to follow Jesus daily: Jesus gave us a clear definition of what it means to be His disciples: “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’” (Matthew 16:24). Apostle Paul himself affirms that he lays down his life daily: “I die daily (I) face death every day and die to self” (I Corinthians 15:31, Amplified Bible). Carrying our cross does not lead us to our death as Jesus suffered on the cross but steadfastly engraves in our “hidden conscience” the price that our Lord paid for our living! By carrying the cross daily, we are a new creation in Christ daily.
Apostle Paul was conscious of the sufferings of the cross: “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:10-12).
The believer’s Point of Reference begins at the CROSS where their journey to their purpose and destiny in God begins!
The end of Jesus’ earthly life on the CROSS is the Beginning of a Believer’s life here on earth!
The CROSS is where we begin our journey to our destination with God’s mission and purpose and we MUST carry our CROSS to KEEP us on the journey.
I cannot emphasize this enough because a majority in the believing circle have come to the cross to be “born again” but have not carried their cross daily. Here is the result:
· Their journey has stopped.
· Their point of reference is changed – they are listening to the world more than listening to God.
· They are completely off course from their pathway to their destination. Their life is filled with agitation, lack of peace, bitterness, and depression – all indicate that they are not on a journey God wants them on. Most importantly, their life is no different from those deeply embedded in the world.
Why carrying our cross is essential? The carrying of the cross necessitates “death to self” which is the most important requirement for us to be on the right pathway to our destination.
Jesus becomes our “True North” if we come to the cross for reconciliation and carry our cross daily. All our decisions, ambitions, and desires are derived from our reference point of the CROSS from which we begin our journey and continue with our cross daily in our journey!
There is no better suitable Scripture than the one Apostle Paul gives us with his own experience to explain his journey with a purpose: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). It is amazing – Jesus’ cross has become Paul’s cross; Jesus’ death has become Paul’s death; the life Paul has been spared to live is the life he has received from the cross; the cross matters in Paul’s daily life in that he lives for the One who sacrificed Himself for him!
It is a daily thought; hence, we can understand Paul saying, “I die daily (I) face death every day and die to self!”
Our Journey from the Point of Reference Continues with the Holy Spirit!
From the point of reference (the CROSS), the Holy Spirit provides a map and guides us to our destination.
The Holy Spirit is a Comforter: “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter), that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16).
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth: “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).
Why do I not consider the Holy Spirit as our “Reference Point?” While the Holy Spirit draws us to the cross and guides us from the cross on our onward journey, HE DOES NOT CONTROL BUT OFFERS HIS GENTLE GUIDANCE AND TRUTH TO THE BELIEVER. The Holy Spirit does not demand death to self but the cross does! While the Holy Spirit does not control, the control from within BEGINS and ENDS at the CROSS!
Now do you understand why we must carry the cross on our journey?
The Holy Spirit speaks Truth but the Cross dictates Surrender!
The Holy Spirit empowers us with power, but the cross helps us keep the power.
The Holy Spirit decorates us with gifts and callings, but the cross keeps us alive in our gifts and callings. Even with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with His gifts and callings, there will be moments of pride, self-glory, self-will, and other distractions to sway us away from our journey, but the cross brings us back to the PATHWAY we are on to continue with our journey.
There is no stoppage of growth as long as we carry our cross and are guided by the Holy Spirit.
Do not follow the life of those who have not yielded to the cross of Christ and are not guided by the Holy Spirit, no matter how powerful and prominent they are in your circles of influence.
Simon Peter had the most powerful revelation that Jesus was the Christ, Son of the Living God, and yet, Jesus, after that revelation, rebuked him saying, “Get thee behind me, Satan,” when Peter resisted Jesus from facing the cross and His death in Jerusalem. Satan can and will give you anything and everything that pleases you for as long as you deny the cross and stop following Jesus on your journey.
Examine Yourself with Your Reference Point and Your Journey!
1) You are either lost, confused, or in the dark – You have No Reference Point!
2) You Must Come to the Cross – Receive Eternal Life and Salvation Through the Cross!
3) That is only Your Starting Reference Point!
4) Pick Up Your Cross and Start Your Journey from the Reference Point. You are on Your Journey to Your Destination!
5) The Holy Spirit will Empower and Guide You Daily as You Submit to Him!
6) When You Experience Wrong-Focuses, Shortcomings, and Distractions, Search Your Heart and Yield to the Cross Immediately. The Cross You are carrying will Remind You of the Sufferings and Pain Jesus Carried for You!
7) When You Submit and Surrender, the Spirit of God will Bring You Back Where You Had Departed from on Your Journey, and You Continue!
8) The Cross Helps You Die to Your Self Daily and Yield to the Holy Spirit!
9) There are No Limits to How Much You Can Grow and Receive from the Lord on Your Journey to Your Destination/Destiny!
10) Complete Your Journey with a Shout of Victory: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (II Timothy 4:7-8).
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You and bow down before You. I am eternally thankful to You, Lord, for saving me by Your grace and through the sacrifice of Your Beloved Son, Jesus, on the cross. At the cross, my burdens have rolled away. At the cross, my sins are forgiven. At the cross, I received new life in Christ. At the cross, You have adopted me into Your family, Lord. I thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads me and guides me into life eternal. As I carry the consciousness of my Jesus and His sufferings for me, I offer my life willingly and freely into Your hands. Hold me, keep me, preserve me, and guide me daily until I come to stand before You in my eternal home of joy unspeakable and full of Your glory. Let my life of willingness and sacrifice be an example to my family, loved ones, and friends so that they too will start their lives with You and end their journey in You. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”
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John Jeyaseelan
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