Using Our JPS

Not long ago, I read a Ziggy comic. Ziggy, the perennial underdog, standing by his mailbox, says, “Just my luck. The GPS I ordered got lost in the mail!”

Many of us rely on a GPS in our car to get where we're going. It tells us where to turn and what streets we should take. After following its guidance, we should arrive at our destination.

But what about our JPS? All of us are born with a Jesus Positioning System. If we listen to it, it will tell us right from wrong and will always steer us in the right direction. Of course there are many that claim this is called the human conscience, but who installed it in us at the beginning of our lives? Jesus did. That's why I like to think of it as our own JPS.

God's Word is packed full of the rewards for doing what our JPS tells us to, as well as the consequences we face if we don't. James says in the fourth chapter, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.”

There are never-ending stories about people letting things like greed overrule their JPS. So many people think they are smarter than the authorities and can steal money from companies, organizations, as well as the government and hide their sin from God. Recently a man pleaded guilty of fraudulently  receiving disaster funds after claiming a tornado damaged his residence. As it turns out, he had moved out of the house several months before the tornado. He didn't listen to his JPS and now he's facing a possible prison sentence.

In sports, more and more athletes are being accused of using performance enhancing drugs. Instead of relying on their God given talents, they would rather pump themselves full of steroids. What kind of message does that send to our children that idolize them? I would love to hear an athlete say he's at the top of his game because he listens to and prays to the Lord. That would be a wonderful use of his JPS. That could inspire children to do the same thing.

There are other ways we can use our JPS. Take for instance a person holding a sign that says they are homeless. Most people just pass them by without a second thought. But some will give money and words of encouragement to that person. I've heard many reasons for not giving anything to people less fortunate. The one heard most often is how do we know that person isn't homeless? Maybe they live in a nice house and they just are conning people into giving them money. My response is I've followed my JPS. I gave from my heart as God wants and what they do with it, is up to them. They have a JPS to follow as well.

The perfect example of following our Jesus Positioning System comes from Jesus Himself. Less than a week before He would be crucified, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey. He knew what was in store for Him, but He didn't hesitate. He followed the Father's plan of salvation for all of us. And after being arrested, He didn't try to talk His way out of the punishment He faced. There is no example better than His to follow what God wants for us all.

As Easter nears and we celebrate Jesus defeating death and walking out the tomb, let's consider how we should use the built in JPS that God has given us. The greatest thing about our Jesus Positioning System is it never says “Re-calculating.” It already has a perfect road planned for us to take. It's up to us to follow it.