March 6, 2019 – Click here to listen
I sat stunned as I heard the amount of my repair bill. Then the knife was twisted a couple of times, and salt was poured in my wound as I heard the words, “Well if you would have read the owner’s manual and performed routine maintenance you wouldn’t be facing this problem.”
Gr-r-r-r-rrrrr!
The worst part of that story is that the mechanic was right. If I would have just
read the owner’s manual and followed instructions, I wouldn’t be forking out a small fortune to him.
I’ve come to think of the Holy Bible as an owner’s manual. God didn’t write a book of rules to make our lives miserable. He is our loving Father and only wants the best for us. The unholy left wants to remove the Ten Commandments from the face of the planet. God said in them, do not lie, steal, murder, commit adultery, covet and so on. Does anyone think that any of the foregoing will result in a happy, fulfilled, peaceful life brimming with love?
An owner’s manual instructs us how to get the most out of a product. After all the manufacturer designed the product and they know best how it should be maintained in order to get the maximum benefit from it. In the same light God created us. He knows what is best for us and what will destroy us. I’ve found that the closer I come to following the lessons taught in the Bible the more blessed my life becomes. It is when I stray that I find myself in trouble.
God wants to protect us. He wants us to join Him in heaven forever. His goal is to protect us even from ourselves. When He tells us to do everything in moderation and we drink ourselves into a stupor we suffer. The same is true of gorging until we have health problems that ruin our lives and lead to an early death.
Is God punishing us for violating one of His laws when we experience bad things because of it? Well sometimes He does, but more often I believe the consequence is a natural result. For example, if a child reached for a glowing red burner on an oven, the mother would warn him not to do it. The little kid could give her a defiant look and grab the burner anyway and get badly burned.
Did the mother punish the kid for grabbing the glowing red-hot burner, or was it a consequence? Would the mother punish the kid for disobeying, or try to soothe and obtain treatment for his badly burned hand?
If someone is drunk and drives a car and has a car crash and is badly injured is that punishment from God for disobeying God and drinking to excess?
Read the Bible as if it were written by someone who loves you more than you can ever possibly imagine, because it is. Follow the instructions God has given us. Our Father is defined as love . . . God’s love is personal. He knows each of us individually and loves us personally. His is a mighty love that has no beginning and no end. Why does God love us? It is because of who He is: “God is love.” We should emulate Him every day. In order to do so we must read His owner’s manual the Holy Bible and follow His instructions for a joyful life filled with peace and love.
Duet. 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.