Know Love Like This: 21 Days of Discovering God's Heart for YouSample

Light, Love, and the Living GPS

By Kemtal Glasgow

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. –John 1:14 (ESV)

Anyone who has ever spent time in the car with me would say that I tend to drive rather fast. Of course, the word “fast” is a relative term. If I were a pilot trying to take off the runway, I’d actually be going quite slow. So I prefer to say that I tend to drive “confidently.” But while I always know my destination, I don’t always know the step-by-step directions on how to get there. Some friends tease me that I’m “directionally challenged,” and the truth is, I am! Without a GPS, I blow past exits and miss turns. Even with a GPS, I’ve heard (more times than I care to admit) the familiar refrain: “Recalculating.”

And this doesn’t only happen when I’m driving. I seem to get turned around while walking, shopping, and exploring just about any territory that’s not familiar. During a season in my life when I was doing extensive traveling (more than 200 nights a year), I’d often get up in the middle of the night only to walk full-on into a wall because the night before I’d been in a different hotel room where that wall was a hallway! But on those occasions the problem in those hotel rooms was not that I’m directionally challenged. What I really needed was light.

In our lives, we need clear, safe, and reliable direction. But that’s not enough on its own. We also need light to see the way!

The very first verse that opens the Gospel of John says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (ESV). In this verse, “Word” is referring specifically to Jesus. John 1:14 goes on to say that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” And Revelation 19:13 says, “And His name is the Word of God.”

“Word” is also used several times throughout Scripture to refer to the written message of God—the Bible (see John 17:17; 1 Timothy 4:5; Revelation 1:2; Colossians 1:25). And in John 5, Jesus shows us the link between the written Word of God and Himself, in that He is the Subject of the written Word: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39 NIV). Did you catch that? Jesus is the Word, and you cannot separate His Word from Him!

You see, the Bible is not simply a book. It’s alive (see Hebrews 4:12).What’s more, it’s both our light and our GPS.

Psalm 119:105 (ESV) says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” God’s Word is living and dynamic, and the more you get acquainted with it, the more you’ll get acquainted with Jesus. As you spend more and more time in God’s Word, His thoughts about your future, His character, and His love for you will begin to unfold with more and more clarity, like switching on a light in the dark.

The Bible is also your GPS in that it helps you make great decisions because Jesus, the Word, lights your steps and guides you in the way of life (see John 14:6). God’s Word gives you a glimpse of His unending, unyielding, and relentless love for you. Lamentations 3:22–23 (NLT) says, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” Romans 8:38–39 reminds you that absolutely nothing can separate you from His love! And because of His love, we can be confident we are being led the right way to the right destination.

I’m very thankful for physical light so I don’t find myself walking into walls, and I’m thankful for simple directions when I’m going into new and unfamiliar territory. Today, you may need some spiritual light or some living navigation. Or perhaps you just need to remember God’s loving-kindness and grace toward you. We all need to be reminded of that from time to time!

You can rest assured that, because of His great love, His direction for your life will lead you to victory over every circumstance and will guide you to abundant life. He who gives you direction and provides light to lead the way is indeed full of love, grace, and truth!

Prayer

God, help me today to develop a love for Your Word and an inclination for Your voice and Your direction. I ask You, Jesus, to illuminate my path and direct my steps today. Help me to trust in Your direction for my life and experience Your great love for me. Fill my mouth with Your words and my ears with Your voice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

• Where in your life have you gone your own way and not allowed God and His Word to guide and direct you? What do you need to do to get back on track?
• Have you allowed your quiet times to become a “to do” list rather than a dynamic exchange with God?
• What could you do or say today to treat yourself like a beloved child of God?

Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me?