Make the Most of Life’s Instruction Manual

They say that life doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but actually it does! It’s called the Holy Bible.

Several years ago, our pastor felt that our congregation didn’t know enough about the Bible. We came to church faithfully every Sunday to listen to his sermons, but most of us didn’t have a systematic way to read and study the Bible.

He asked us as a church to begin a daily reading plan that took us through the Bible in one year. Today, this discipline has become a part of the daily devotions for many of us and the result has been life-changing as well as church-changing.

Being a Christian most of my life, I’ve studied the Bible and even memorized many key verses, however, reading it from cover to cover unveils a storyline that you don’t get by just reading various chapters out of sequence.

It’s very unpopular today in some circles to say that you believe in the Bible, but I find it ironic that many of those who discount the Bible and say they don’t believe it to be the inspired Word of God, have never read even a small portion of it, much less cover to cover. While we would never purchase an expensive appliance and refuse to pick up the instruction manual to see how to operate it safely and efficiently, many of us try to make it though life on our own without ever consulting the manual God has given us for our time on earth.

Will we understand everything we read in the Bible? Certainly not, but we will understand some of it. The beauty of reading the Word is that we almost always learn something new or see a principle in a new light, even from a familiar passage.

Many people mistakenly think that the Bible should have all the answers to life’s questions, and since it doesn’t answer everything, it’s not valid. But God hasn’t revealed everything to his creation – just what He wants us to know. The Bible, rather, is the story of man, and God’s plan to redeem him from his sins. It shows us how to live triumphantly in this life and how to prepare for the next. It doesn’t tell us everything there is to know about God. That’s for another time and place. Today we know in part, the Bible says, but when we see God face to face we will know fully. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

If you’ve never read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, I encourage you to do so this year. Some of it won’t make sense, but a lot of it will. Numerous Bible Reading Apps online have a scheduled reading plan, and many will read it audibly to you so that you can listen while driving or getting ready for work, etc. This one from Life Church is fantastic, but there are many other options.

Holy Bible

What’s actually in there?

Some verses tell us what to do when we feel weak, anxious, worried, betrayed, or sad. It shows us how to be at peace and joyful instead of stressed and gloomy, and how to love instead of hate. There are verses for when we need forgiveness and when we need to forgive others.

The Bible tells us how to be a good friend, parent, neighbor and child. It teaches us to trust God and believe in something bigger than ourselves. It provides comfort through our sufferings while challenging us to become better people.

We may not always like what the Bible says to us, but everything written there is for our good. There are answers for dealing with the sins in our life and how to get deliverance from them. Not everything we read will make us happy. Biblical truth is sometimes hard to swallow. God’s word claims to be sharper than a two-edged sword and, believe me, I have felt that sword in my own spirit many times. But no matter how it hurts, a reality check is sometimes just what we need.

The Bible truly is a Living Word. Nothing will grow our faith more than the Word of God. It’s a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, (Psalm 119:105) showing us the way on this journey of life. It’s a love letter from God to us, His children, and is more precious than any treasure we could ever find.

Its words bring comfort to us when we are burdened, hope when we are in despair, and joy when we are in sorrow. All the while convicting us when we are doing wrong.

We’ll never master the Bible completely, no matter how much of a scholar we become because it is a living, breathing book, and the more we learn the more is revealed.

There is much to be gleaned from the Scriptures. Everything from how to eat, how to manage your money, to how to treat your neighbor. There are numerous ancient prophecies through those pages that have now been fulfilled and other prophecies showing us what’s to come next in our world.

Why not give God’s Word a try this year and commit to reading it through just to see what it has to say to you. I think you’ll be impressed and blessed!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1

God’s handiwork

We can’t do it by ourselves. We didn’t create our human bodies, fill them with a soul and spirit and place ourselves on this earth. We had no say in the matter – neither the era in which we were born, the family into which we were born, nor what race or other physical characteristics we acquired.

So why do we think we have to do life on our own? When we struggle with sin and failure we often turn from God instead of asking him to help us.

But this verse in Philippians tells us that God is always working in us both so we can do his will and for his good pleasure.

“He’s not mad at us, “ As my friend, Dave Ramsey says, “He misses us.” God wants every person to live forever with him. That’s the reason he sent his son to die for us. If he didn’t care about us, he would have just let us all die in our sins.

Don’t let guilt and shame keep you from God. He understands the struggles we have on this earth for Jesus had those same temptations. We will never be as perfect as Jesus, but God will help us become more like him each day if we allow him.

Solomon’s choice

If there’s anyone in the Bible I’d like to shake and say “What are you doing,” it’s King Solomon.

God had literally given him everything he could ever hope or wish for. He had riches beyond belief. The very goblets that he drank out of were made of gold! He had so much of the precious metal that he regarded silver as virtually worthless.

But God didn’t stop with material possessions. He gave Solomon wisdom well beyond his years. Kings and leaders from other nations would come and sit with him for hours while he answered their questions with his incredible wisdom. Today, centuries later, King Solomon is still proclaimed as the wisest man who ever lived.

Perhaps best of all, the Lord gave Solomon peace. In a land that has known little through the years. he lived and reigned for forty years in complete peace. It allowed him to construct the fabulous temple out of the riches God had provided. He lived a truly blessed life.

All God asked of Solomon was to stay true to him and follow his commandments.

But, unfortunately, Solomon choose to not always do that. Instead of one wife, Solomon wanted hundreds and he took them from foreign lands that worshiped idols, going against God’s direct command. In the end they led him astray and were his downfall.

In his later years looking back on his life, Solomon realized all he had was vanity. He had learned the hard truth that without God, all the riches and wisdom didn’t mean a thing. Instead of continuing to grow in the Lord Solomon had choosen another path and it cost him dearly.

While I want to shake Solomon and say “What were you thinking,” in reality, I often do the same thing. How often have I not obeyed the Lord knowing full well whatever he has for me is always what’s best.

We’re all faced with choices each and every day. Some lead to life and some to death. Right choices usually enhance our life and wrong ones often bring us trouble. Most days are a mixture of both.

No one is perfect and we don’t always get it right, but my prayer is that as I grow in the Lord I will make more right choices than wrong ones.

What about you?

I don’t want to miss out on anything the Lord has for me, especially those pearly white gates, streets of gold and an eternal life in God’s presence that comes with life’s most important choice of accepting Jesus as our savior for the forgiveness of our sins.

That’s one choice I hope we all get right.

2 good ways to love your neighbor

I just called a lady stupid. We’ll actually I said what she was doing was stupid, but I clearly wasn’t living out this commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

If there’s anything in abundance and growing in our land today, it’s dissension and hate. It seems like our society is collapsing all around us. Lawlessness is abounding and immorality is not only accepted but encouraged and actually celebrated. Those that don’t agree are often labeled bigots.

As Christians it’s hard not to be angry toward those that we feel are causing the disruption.

Yet, God commands us to love even when we don’t see eye to eye, or we think their attitudes and decisions will cause harm to others. We can’t always condone every action of our neighbor, but we can still love the person. And admittedly that’s hard, really hard.

While it may be difficult to fight for what’s right and just and still love, we don’t change people by hating them or calling them stupid. They can only be changed by showing them the love of Christ.

So how do we love the unloveable?

We love people by telling them the truth. But if that truth isn’t delivered in love, we might as well just keep our opinions to ourself. Still our words may or may not be accepted, but that’s not up to us.

Standing up for what we believe is right may cause angry push back from those who disagree. But there’s always a way to disagree without viciously attacking someone’s character and inciting more anger and hate. A soft answer turns away wrath. (Proverbs 15:1). Try it next time your in a heated debate and watch the angry person calm down and pay more attention to what you are saying.

We love people by being there when they are hurting or in their time of need. There’s no better way to earn the right to speak truth into someone’s life. No one wants to listen to some Bible thumping obnoxious, judgmental stranger shoveling a Bible in their face and telling them they are going to hell. That tactic may have worked in times past, but it’s a big turnoff to unbelievers in our society today and, frankly, unless God has already prepared that person to receive, you won’t get very far with them.

People do respond to kindness. Especially when they are grieving the loss of a love one, battling sickness or just having a hard time. What better way to open the door for an unbelieving co-worker than to say. “Hey, I noticed your struggling and are having a hard day. Can I pray for you or get you something? They will seldom decline and when you have an opportunity to share your faith, they will be opening to listening. Even something as cup of cold water given in love can change a life. (Matthew 10:42)

This verse sounds so easy. “Just love your neighbor as yourself.” Yet it is so incredibly hard. But Jesus never promised us easy. He just promised he would always be with us

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The Beauty in Stillness

I can still hear my mom saying to me when I was a squirmy little kid. “Will you just sit still!” In some respects I believe that has been God’s message to the world over the past several months of COVID. We’ve all been forced to slowdown to some extent. That part of COVID is perhaps a silver lining.

For in order to really know God, we have to turn off the distractions and get into his Word and listen for His voice. His character is revealed through those inspired passages and much of His will for our life is uncovered there.

God through the Holy Spirit also speaks to us in a still quiet voice. Seldom does He shout. Our world is loud and our lives are busy, but God won’t complete for our attention. Rather He tugs lightly on our heartstrings so that we usually won’t even hear him unless we are attentive and listening. Thankfully, God can be persistent though, always gently drawing us to do what He’s desiring of us.

As the pace of our lives begins to pick up again, let’s not neglect time to be still, pray, read the Word and listen for His still small voice to guide us. In doing so we will live life to the fullest and experience the most wonderful adventure He has planned for us – now and in eternity.

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Guiding light

When I was a little girl I’d often spend the night with my cousins who lived with their grandparents. They had an outhouse for a bathroom. I can remember us little girls taking a flashlight after dark and following the path down the trail to that creepy toilet which was in a field behind the main house. It was always a little scary to us because we never knew what was lurking in the darkness.

This verse is a picture of what the Word of God does for us as we travel through life. It guides us through our journey and helps avoid both perceived and real dangers along the way.

The Bible remains the number one selling book year after year! Unfortunately though, many people haven’t discovered the jewels of inspiration, wisdom, and hope that are recorded there.

Some say they don’t believe the Bible, yet have never even read it. If that’s you, I’d say now is the time to dive in and discover it’s truths. The creator of the universe has given you a manuel for a successful life here in earth. Aren’t you curious to know what’s in it?

Dave Ramsey says that everyone should read the proverbs for their incredible wisdom even if they aren’t a Christian. I agree. That book alone will provide you wisdom for relationships, finances, health, and life in general.

There’s a big movement within the church today for believers to get more into the study of the Word. Many are participating in one or two year plans to read it through cover to cover. This is good because even though it isn’t written chronologically, the Bible is actually a story. It’s the story of man from his creation to eternity and God’s plan for his redemption. Reading it cover to cover allows the story to unfold.

It’s exciting to see the church gaining the wisdom presented in God’s word. As the days get darker before the return of Christ and Christian persecution intensifies, we are going to need the strength the Word of God brings more than ever.

My greater desire, though, is for those who aren’t believers to begin to search it out. For not only will they find help, wisdom, and guidance for these moments in time, they will find the keys to eternal life as well.

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How to be humble without being a push over

Most of us tend to get a little more humble as we get older. Maturity and understanding along with some hard knocks in life bring that about in our character.

Yet, as always God’s word brings a challenge. This verse is no different as it instructs us to be completely humble and gentle. That makes it a little harder because, honestly, how can we be anything one hundred percent of the time?

Some think humility means being timid. It does not. Nor does it mean one must be a door mat and let people run all over you.

True humility is simply honoring God and others

Think of someone you know that you consider to be a humble person. Chances are you see them showing kindness and respect to everyone they come in contact with on a daily basis.

According to Jeff Boss, a former contributor at Forbes magazine, humble people retain relationships longer because they are more likely to help out their friends and are better listeners. They are curious, eager learners always realizing that although they may be smart, there is much they don’t know. They aren’t afraid to ask for help. Humble people always take the time to say “Thank you” to whomever is serving them and start sentences with “You” instead of “I.”

The humble are not weak, they are actually confident because they know their self worth. They don’t feel the need to boast about themselves because they believe their actions speak for them.

None of us will be humble one hundred percent of the time, but it’s something we can practice at each day by simply putting others ahead of ourselves – and that will make life more pleasant for everyone.

The value of Christian community

Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24

We are commanded by God to assemble together as believers; but many Christians today are being forbidden to attend church by their government, are afraid to go because of the pandemic or have just got out of the habit over the 2020 shutdown.

The Bible instructs us to assemble more as the day approaches. The day is approaching my fellow believers. Christian persecution has already began even in our beloved America.

The warp speed at which were now experiencing censorship of conservative Christian ideas is alarming.

By gathering together we gain strength and encouragement from each other. We help each other draw closer to God and live out His commandments.

If you’ve not been getting together with other believers, start this week even if it’s just a small group Bible study. We’re going to need each other more than ever in the coming days.

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How to have peace in turbulent times

It was our bi-weekly Wednesday night Bible study the day after the 2020 presidential election. Naturally, the conversation turned to the election results which were, of course, still being tallied. But it was looking grim for our candidate – the man that we thought would be best to lead our country over the next four years. We were all speculating on what would happen to our country if the other candidate won. There was concern about the kind of nation we would leave to our children and grandchildren. We were undoubtedly anxious.

We ended our session with prayer and someone asked for God to give us peace.

Peace

We haven’t seen a lot of that in 2020. With Covid-19 ravaging the nation causing much sickness, numerous deaths and widespread fear, as well as prompting shutdowns, cancelled events, mandatory. business closures, illegal church services and an incident of police brutality leading to riots, chaos, attacks on police, violence and burning cities, peace has been in short supply to say the least.

How can we possibly have peace in our hearts with so much going on, especially now with the uncertainty of what a new administration might bring.

Then I was immediately reminded of this verse.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you, because he trust in you. Isaiah 26:3

What a beautiful promise this is for us. We can’t control everything in our world, in fact we can’t control most things, but we can choose to dwell on the Lord and if we do, he promises to bring us peace.

What can we control?

We can control our thoughts and choose to lean into Jesus, thanking him for all the goodness and blessings in our life. This will bring peace and contentment to our soul.

We can read his word to learn his ways and the promises it holds for those who love him. This will bring peace and encouragement to us.

We can fellowship with other believers in order to help each other stay focused on God during tough times. This will bring us joy and peace to each other.

And we can attend church and worship even though we may have to do it virtually for now. Worshiping God and hearing the Word of God motivates us to become more devoted to him which ultimately brings us peace.

All these things will help us keep our mind on the Lord.

Even if we get through this 2020 crisis unscathed, more turbulent times are coming. But God’s promises still hold true. He will never leave us or forsake us. (Joshua 1:5) and that’s a good verse to dwell on for sure.

Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

How to Start your day in a happy place

The birds sing to me each morning as I sit on my back deck having devotions. How do I know they are singing to me? Because I’m the only one out there!

Okay, I get it. They would be singing even if I wasn’t there because they’re actually singing to God. But I do get to enjoy listening in on their melodious tunes. A since God made the birds and He knew I’d be there, just maybe He’s allowing them to sing for me too! Nevertheless, they remind me to be as cheerful and happy as they are, inspiring me to welcome the day by offering my own praise and thanksgiving to the God who created it all.

Depending on the time of year, it’s often dark when I sleepily trek out to the deck with a cup of coffee in hand in one hand and my Bible (which is now on my phone) in the other. I don’t mind the dark because I love looking at the stars. Yet I can always tell when the dawn is about to break as the birds will start singing. It’s the first sign that the eastern sky is about to ever so slowly get increasingly lighter reminding me that God is not yet finished with mankind. He’s allowing us yet one more day.

Granted there is much to be concerned about in our world as it moans and groans from the sin that we’ve brought into it. But the birds are always happy and they faithfully keep singing their tunes. They still have something to sing about and are always excited to see the sun. Maybe they know something we don’t! They lift my spirits and encourage me to look for the things I can sing about, too. If they can be thrilled to see the dawn of a new day then so can I.

I know all the birds on the hill and all that moves in the fields is mine. Psalm 50:11