In ancient times men knew of a special kind of rock that would attract pieces of metal. Such rocks were called lodestones. It was found that when a small piece of this magnetic stone was placed on a splinter of wood and floated in a bowl of water, the splinter would turn until it pointed in a north-south direction. These floating splinters became the first crude compasses. Since they pointed toward the North Star, this star became known as the lodestar. Centuries passed before man understood why the compass needle pointed in a north-south direction. In 1600 the English scientist, William Gilbert, suggested that the Earth itself is a giant magnet that exerts a force on compasses, and this has subsequently been verified. Every magnet, including the Earth, is surrounded by a magnetic field composed of lines of force, and it is these lines of force stretching between the Earth's magnetic poles which cause the compass to line up north and south.
But why is the Earth a giant magnet? Since magnetism seems to be associated with iron ore, it was speculated that the Earth's magnetic field was the result of large iron deposits at or near the poles. However, geological explorations have discovered no such deposits. In fact, we now know that the Earth's central core is in a molten state. This core is under such extreme conditions of temperature and pressure that molecules dissociate and even atoms are stripped of electrons. This results in a fourth state of matter that we call plasma. It is thought that the rotation of the Earth causes these particles to be oriented in such a way as to produce a geomagnetic field.
This concept introduces a second kind of magnetism called electro-magnetism. in 1820 Hans Oersted passed a wire carrying an electric current over a compass and the needle was deflected at a right angle to the wire. This led to the speculation that if an electric current could produce a magnetic field, then conversely, a magnetic field could produce an electric current. Thus was born the concept of electromagnetic induction. Using this concept, Michael Faraday invented the first electric generator, the basis of all our modern electric power generation.
Jesus said that if He were lifted up, He would draw all men unto Him. He was a spiritual magnet drawing men's hearts to the way of righteousness. "The greatest want of the world is the want of men,--men who will not be bought or sold;...men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall" (Ed. p 57). When we allow Christ's spiritual magnetic field to guide us, then our lives will be pointed in the right direction, as the needle to the pole; we will have become "spiritually magnetized."
