What would we do without Google or Apple Maps these days? It is so convenient to enter an address on your computer or phone and it not only tell you where it is located, but also how many miles away, how long it will take to get there, and several options for how to travel there! Incredible! It is nothing short of amazing that your position can also be tracked “live” while you are driving to your desired destination – all the while, calculating how many miles remain and your estimated time of arrival. The technology that provides this marvelous blessing is known as the, “Global Positioning System,” or simply, “G.P.S.” It is a highly sophisticated and complicated framework of orbital satellites, computer networks, sophisticated receivers, and accumulated data that began development in 1973.
GPS was engineered primarily as a superior navigational system to what mankind had been using for centuries beforehand, the simple compass, sextant, and map. It has become so accurate that even visual or radio references are no longer needed, such as lighthouses, depth soundings, or beacon signals. Some professional-grade equipment can now achieve accuracy to just a few centimeters! GPS is a life-changing provision.
There is a spiritual application here. Just as the technology of GPS can determine where you are with detailed accuracy, give you information as to where you are going, and that the old tools are no longer necessary, so too does God provide that for us. In fact, we might say a Christian’s GPS is their “God Positioning System.”
First of all, the “God Positioning System” can pinpoint with extreme accuracy where you are in life. There are only two possibilities: in or out. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” What are those blessings? Salvation, according to 2 Timothy 2:10, the promise of eternal life (2 Tim 1:1), and many more (Matt 5:1-12). One must be positioned IN Christ Jesus, that is, IN His body, which is the church to receive those blessings. According to 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, those who are “outside” will be judged by God and punished (2 Thess 1:8).
Secondly, the “God Positioning System” provides accurate information concerning your destiny. Only from the Bible can one learn the truth about what happens after we die or the end of the ages. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” (1 Thess 4:16) Notice the position again: “in Christ.” Everyone who has ever lived will have to give an account of their life and be judged to receive reward or punishment (Heb 9:27; Rev 20:12-15).
Thirdly, the “God Positioning System” does away with old tools used for positioning. Jesus brought a “new covenant” (Luke 22:20) which is a new system for obtaining forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. Jesus “wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Col 2:14) Today, one is required to obey the Gospel to be saved.
Lastly, the “God Positioning System” is a life-changing provision. Just as the navigation technology has made life better, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) If one uses the “God Positioning System” to become His child, then one has “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:7) How is your GPS?