Christ My Polaris

Devotional for Tuesday, March 9, 1999 by Michael Steckel

When I was serving in the Navy, I was stationed on a ship for four and a half years. During that time I had a need to achieve. I was not content just to do my job. I had a thirst for knowledge and I wanted to learn all I could about the ship and its operations. So I worked very hard and got my Warfare Qualification pin, the only enlisted person aboard the ship to do so. As a 20-year-old low-ranking 3rd class petty officer, I caught the attention of my Captain, who gave me the chance to stand watches on the bridge, with responsibility to navigate the ship and assist the Officer of the Deck. One thing I had to do was to learn how to navigate using the stars. Polaris, the North Star, was always the first star point I would use, since it is the brightest and the easiest one to find. To triangulate our position, I had to use other references but Polaris was the important reference point to measure the others from.

When one is at sea it is very easy to lose one's bearings without a reference to guide the way. In our Christian life we can easily lose our way without a reference point to guide us. The point that should be our reference is Christ. When we use Jesus as our Polaris, then we can steer towards the one true path. We must remain focused on Christ to achieve this. If we remove our focus from Christ, it is very easy to stray from the path. As I look at my life I see where I have strayed, but when I put Christ first, things just seem to feel right. I have great joy within myself as I try to steer my life by the example that Christ shows us. May we all find the joy in our lives when we use Christ as our Polaris.

Prayer: Lord, You are the light that is our guide. We thank you for loving us and never leaving us, and for showing us the way which leads to life everlasting. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Michael Steckel <steckel@uspacenet.com>
Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

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