Sharing Scripture — February 12, 2022

The European Space Agency is investigating changes in Earth’s magnetic field that could eventually have drastic consequences for humanity. The magnetic field has lost about 9% of its strength during the past 200 years. The greatest drop is found in the area between Africa and South America, known as the “South Atlantic Anomaly.” That weakening is allowing some cosmic rays to affect orbiting satellites in that region.

The gradual loss of the magnetic field will eventually make Earth an uninhabitable rock. Not only will compasses quit working, but birds will lose the ability to migrate for the winter. Harmful cosmic radiation will bombard the earth’s surface. The resulting geomagnetic storm will knock out not only our satellites, but also the whole electric grid. Finally, our atmosphere will be stripped away, along with every river, stream and ocean.

Fortunately (for us), this scenario is predicted to occur several million years down the road. It does illustrate, however, our dependence on something as seemingly benign as magnetic attraction.

As Christians, we are totally dependent on Jesus not only for our physical life, but also for our quality of life—our sense of satisfaction and well-being. The lovely character of Jesus is our life-giving attractant.

Just as the magnetic field makes physical life possible on our planet, so Jesus is the energizing force of our spiritual lives. According to Hebrews 6:19-20, our hope in Jesus as our eternal High Priest  is the anchor for our souls. Jesus fills the longing of our hearts with love and purpose, giving our lives meaning that—without God—will otherwise be barren and hopeless.

Without this hope, humankind can only see a future of gradual degeneration as this planet eventually wears out and dies. With the hope of Jesus anchoring our souls, we can look forward to the better things listed in Hebrews 6:9-12: God will never abandon us, and we will ultimately receive our promised inheritance.

Connecting: When was the last time you used a compass or a GPS signal to navigate to your destination? How lost would you be if those navigation devices just disappeared?

Applying: What are some ways that the devil distracts people from their focus on Jesus? How do these distractions eat away at the human soul? Outline some strategies to mitigate the effects of those distractions.