God’s Instruction Manual

A manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair;
to teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality.
There’s something here also for the seasoned men and women,
still a thing or two for the experienced to learn.
Proverbs 1:4-6 (MSG)

Growing up as a little boy, I loved the fall and winter times of the year, not because of the change of seasons, but because my birthday is in October and  Christmas is in December, and both of those months translate into gifts.

I wish you could see the smile on my face right now as I look back on all the kinds of gifts I would receive. Some of them were board games – Battleship, Candy Land, Game of Life, and Monopoly – and they all came with a set of instructions. I was so excited to play that I didn’t take the time to read the instructions; unfortunately, the end result was many days of frustration and fights with my two sisters. 

 In my teen years, video games replaced board games, but the outcome was the same; frustration and fights. As I matured, I graduated to cars, careers, cash, and cribs, yet the outcome was the same, frustration and fights, this time not with sisters, but children, my companion, co-workers, and fellow Christians! 

All along this journey, God was teaching me the significance of the instruction manual. An instruction manual is supplied by the manufacturer so that the user can be familiarized with the product and guided towards the best experience. Beloved, if an earthly instruction manual is valuable to life, what about a heavenly one?

I wonder how many fights could have been avoided, and how many nights of frustration could have been missed if I paid closer attention to God’s manual.  One thing for sure, an instruction manual tucked away in a drawer, or stored in a  closet, benefits no one, neither does an unread Bible. God’s Word is our instruction manual for living, let’s read it over and over again, so we can know the Owner’s heart and avoid future days of failure, frustration, and fights. 

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your Word. Your Word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Thank You for leaving me an instruction manual to live by.  

Pas. Vernon E. Hubbard*