Sir John Franklin, a British explorer

An interesting map is on display in the British Museum in London. It's an
old mariner's chart, drawn in 1525, outlining the North American coastline
and adjacent waters. At that time most of the new continent's interior had
not as yet been explored with but a few hundred miles of coastline being the
only evidence of what lie beyond.

The handful of explorers who had visited the Americas had relied upon the
scattered Indian tribes for information about the land. In many cases, since
the natives had no wish that these strange visitors from the sea should
venture forth over their land, they had created fanciful tales and legends
as being an accurate description of what the new land held in store for
anyone adventurous or foolhardy enough to take the risk.

With these tales in mind, the cartographer made some intriguing notations on
areas of the map that represented regions not yet explored. He wrote: "Here
be giants," "Here be fiery scorpions," and "Here be dragons."

Eventually, the map came into the possession of Sir John Franklin, a British
explorer in the early 1800s. Musing over these fanciful, even mythical
inscriptions, he scratched them out one by one and in their stead he wrote
these words across the map: "Here is God." *

What lies in store for us along the "coastlines" of our lives is known only
to God. But, He has not been so unkind as to give us no hope for tomorrow.
He has mapped out a course that He desires that we should follow. This Map
(God's Word) identifies:

Where we are: lost in sin and doomed to destruction (Romans 3:23; 6:23).

Where God wants us to be ultimately: in heaven with Him for an eternity
(Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 1:3-4).

The Way to eternal life: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus said, "I am
the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me" (John 14:6)

When we were lost in our sins, God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross
to pay the price of redemption for us (Ephesians 1:7). He has promised to
save those who will place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31),
turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men
(Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the
forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Then He wants us to continue to "fix our
eyes on Jesus" and follow Him faithfully all the way to heaven (Hebrews
12:1-2).

If we trust and obey Jesus and follow Him faithfully, the promise of
tomorrow is bright. NO dragons, NO scorpions and NO giants; only God - "who
desires ALL men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1
Tim 2:4).

Won't YOU trust Christ and follow Him?

David A. Sargent