READ THE MANUAL!

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Psalm 25 4,5

A couple of years ago I traded cars. I went from a big SUV – one that would accommodate three car seats in the back seat (for my granddaughters, who no longer need car seats)   -- to a sedan. I love my little car – it has lots of bells and whistles. It has heated seats and steering wheel, it beeps to tell me when I’m getting too close to something and it has automatic breaking for when I’m possibly distracted.

I know there are many other features available – I just don’t know what they are. When I purchased the car I thought that I would read over the manual so that I would be familiar with every feature. Well, it turns out that there isn’t just one manual, there are several – there is even a complete book about the GPS.

So, I just wait until I see an icon light up on my dash, then I look it up in one of the manuals to see what it means. My granddaughters are always laughing at me. They ask “Grandmom, what is that for?” I just laugh and say – “Who knows. Maybe I should read the manual to find out.” I realize that I’m missing out on enjoying a lot of the great features of my car by not doing that.

That’s not the only place where I miss out. A few weeks ago I roped Holly into helping me set up a new Pack and Play for the nursery. I read the instructions – or so I thought – but we just couldn’t get the sides to snap into place. Come to find out – I read PART of the instructions but didn’t read them all. Once I did, we were able to assemble it without any problems.

I’m guilty of this when it comes to Bible reading as well. If I read a passage quickly and don’t think about what I’m reading, I can easily overlook an important message or instruction that God has just for me. But when I take the time not only to read but also to ponder the scripture and listen for His voice, I get so much more out of it.

Just like reading the manual to learn about the fancy features of my car makes my driving experience better, my life experience is better when I allow God and His Holy Manual to direct me. I believe that as Christians, we need to make sure we read the Manual and follow the instructions that God has provided for us. That’s the only way we will be able to serve Him  well.

Dear God, help us always to rely on the instructions contained in Your Holy Word. May we lead by example and point the way to your Son, Jesus the Christ. Amen.



Pastor Ruth