CHART AND COMPASS

A FOLLOW UP
Since I used seafaring imagery in my previous post (A Decided Determination) I thought I would share this poem with you, which I wrote in the late sixties. (I have added notes to explain some of the meaning.)

Staring out at the deep dark sea,
Arouses thoughts that challenge me,
To shove my barque through the crashing waves,
And reach a land that my spirit craves.

In spite of dark and tossing brine,
And chills that grip this mortal spine,
My soul cries out for that waiting shore,
Where wind and wave offend no more.

Though darkness and the strength of hell,
Are bound up in each rising swell,
My Chart and Compass point above,
I'm steered and powered by perfect love.

(IMAGERY EXPLAINED)
The sea is the life, darkened by sin, corruption, temptation, loss and suffering.
A barque is a type of sail boat.
Heaven is the desired destination.
Each test, each trial, each temptation is meant to intimidate the believer, but it only sets our resolve.
The recurring testing of life is each ground "swell."
The Chart is the Bible.
The Compass is the Holy Spirit.
Perfect love is the life of Entire Sanctification lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.

PERSONAL CHALLENGE
God intends for us to be victorious in the trials of life. I hope you attend a church that teaches and preaches that Christ is greater than any problem you will ever have; that where sin did abound, grace did much more abound; that Jesus came to save us from our sins; that the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin; that God always leads us in triumph; that the Holy Spirit bears holy fruit in our lives and thereby bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.