God's Instructions

All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correction, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3: 16,17

Life can be complicated at times. We are bombarded from every direction with ideas and approaches to so many aspects of life. How does one know which path to take? We are to seek, submit, and stand with God, but how do we accomplish that? Everybody seems to be going in a different direction than us. Are they right?

In something as complicated as life, there would seem to be a need for some instructions on how to get through life. Like most men, I hate instruction manuals.  I want to jump into the task and just get it done. I want to take the pieces of the swing set and lay them out, and with confidence, start putting the set together with the instructions still in the box. About half way through the project and at a stand still, I start asking myself - what did I do with the instructions?

Fortunately for us, God provided a set of instructions for us to use in our life journey. It is the Bible. It is the most important possession we have to complete a successful life journey. We must be careful to never loose it, misuse it, or ignore it. It truly holds all the answers to all areas of life and it is to be regarded without question of authenticity or error. The Bible was written by 40 authors, contains 66 books, written over a period of 1600 years, in 3 different languages, over 3 different continents, and contains 3268 fulfilled prophecies. All of which, contain the same theme- God's redemption of man. Find me another book that can claim the same.  

I have been a homebuilder most of my life. In building a house, the foundation is the most important part to a strong and substantial house. The foundation is what supports and gives rise to something beautiful being added. It is just a bunch of bricks and concrete without something added to it. It may be spectacular to view, but it is worthless unless something is added to it.

The Bible is our instruction manual for life. It is the foundation that gives rise to a life long journey of walking through life with Christ. What goes on top of this foundation is living out the life of Christ in us. Just as in the house, the presentation on top is what brings beauty and usefulness to life. In a house, I have to rely on the foundation to be accurate, reliable, and explicitly trustworthy, before I can build a house on it. It is the same with the Bible, it has to be the solid foundation upon which I have absolute confidence and trust in it's entirety. 

The Bible is filled with not only wisdom on how to live this life, but it is also filled with passages that tell us what this life looks like. Below is a passage that I think completes a life that is seeking, submitting, and standing with Christ. Dwell on this passage for the next week and see what God will do in your life through His God breathed, inspired word. 

"Oh God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you: my soul thirst for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. 

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods: with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I will remember you: I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

Those who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.

They will be given over to the sword and become food for jackals.

But the king will rejoice in God's name and will praise him, while the mouths of liars will be silenced."

Psalm 63