Map to greatness - Devotion for 8/27/07

Map to greatness – Devotion for 8/27/07

Gotta admit it – before I go to any destination that I do not know where I am going, I hit up Mapquest. I love to go in there and put in the info for where I am heading and then get out there and hit the open (or not so open) road. I will stay on Highway XYZ for 13.7 miles, and then I will bear left onto Route ABC if that is what my little Mapquest printout tells me to do. Yes, I have found that at times Mapquest is not exactly correct, but from my experience, it usually quite accurate (and pretty freaky that it can tell anyone how to exactly get to my house!). The reason I love using Mapquest so much is that I remember what it was like before I began using Mapquest. I might look at a map before I headed off, or I might have just gone in the direction that I thought I should go. Or you might ask someone else for directions, and they may tell you to go turn onto the road just past the maple tree (not the oak, just in case you know the difference), and then you will take the left just past the field with the pigs. Yep, I have found that for me, taking the time to consult Mapquest for the directions is a much better alternative, and it exponentially increases my chances of actually getting to my destination.

Unfortunately in life many times we just head out without a plan or direction. We just follow our hearts desires or whatever whim comes across our minds without any sense of direction or even destination. That’s why in college there are academic advisors, who will help keep you on track to graduation by taking the course you need to take, instead of just the courses you may want to take (like basket weaving – sorry, NC State fans ;-p ). Those academic advisors will help you map out a plan, and by you following their plan, you can usually achieve what it is that you set out to achieve. But to achieve that, you have to submit to their plan, and not your plan. You have to be willing to follow what has been set out for you, and not take the detours you may want to take. You have to play “follow the leader,” and follow the wisdom before you.

One of the weird things that Jesus said is found in Matthew 23:10. The first half of that verse seems to stand in direct contrast with the world today, and even in direct contrast to the expectations of some within the church universal – “Do not be called leaders.” You can go to any bookstore and find an entire section on leadership. You can go to any Christian bookstore and find an entire section of leadership. Yet Jesus instructed us to not be called leaders. The second half of the verse explains a little more: “for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.” OK – I’m going to go off the farm a little here, but the way I see it, Jesus is our Mapquest. Jesus is our “academic advisor.” We shouldn’t be out there living life based on our wills, our wants, our plans – we should be consulting the plan that our Leader has laid out before us. Matthew 23:12 states, “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.” If we set off ignoring God’s plans for us, we are in essence exalting ourselves, and trust me on this one, we will be humbled (some of us learn the hard way). So if you want to achieve greatness in this lifetime and beyond – true greatness – there is a map and a plan to that greatness. And it begins with you consulting the Leader – the “Mapquest” – the “academic advisor” – the Christ.