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Friend, before the coffee cools and before the day gathers speed, let's spend a few moments together in the harbor of God's Word. Welcome to this Monday verse of the day episode of Tales of Faith by the Sea. Today's verse comes from Psalm 119, verse 160. The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous ordinances is everlasting. There is one thing a sailor must be able to trust. His compass out upon the open sea, especially when clouds hide the stars, and fog erases the horizon. Direction becomes precious. A compass that is almost right is not good enough. A few degrees of error may seem insignificant while leaving the harbor, but travel far enough, and that small error can place a ship miles from where it was supposed to be. The same is true as spiritually. We live in a world filled with voices telling us which direction to sail. Culture speaks, popular opinion speaks, our emotions speak, friends speak, traditions speak, and sometimes our own heart speaks louder than all the rest. But there remains one question What does God say? The Psalmist declares the sum of your word is truth, not merely portions of it, not simply the passages we find comfortable. God's word is truth. That means Scripture must become the compass by which every other voice is tested. When my feelings disagree with Scripture, I adjust my feelings. When society disagrees with Scripture, I remain with Scripture. When religious tradition contradicts Scripture, I return to Scripture. Because the purpose of a compass is not to tell the sailor what direction he wishes were north, its purpose is to tell him where north actually is. And God's word does the same for the soul. It tells us the truth about God, the truth about sin, the truth about salvation, and the truth about worship, the truth about how we ought to live, and ultimately it points us towards Jesus Christ. The world may change its direction every generation. God's truth does not. The tides of human opinion rise and fall, but God's word remains. As you begin this week, check your compass. What is directing your decisions, your feelings, your circumstances, the opinions of others? Or the word of God. A faithful sailor checks his compass often because he knows how easily a vessel can drift, and a faithful Christian returns continually to Scripture for exactly the same reason. Open the Bible, read it, study it, believe it, and obey it, and allow God's truth to correct your course whenever you begin to drift, because it matters very little how quickly we sail if we are sailing in the wrong direction. Until next time, may God's word be the compass that directs your life. Christ be the captain whom you faithfully follow, and heaven remain the harbor toward which you sail. This has been Nathan Hampton, a minister in the Lord's Church. Safe sailing, my friends, and goodbye.