Following Directions

How good are you at following directions? Do you adhere to every detail, or do you bypass minor details? My son came home with a very interesting test the other week. It had about 15 different questions to answer. With a wry smile my son sat his siblings at the kitchen table and gave them the test. My oldest son looked it over, wrote something on the paper, and said he was done, much to the consternation of my daughters as they tried diligently to answer the questions.

Finally, after a good ten minutes, I halted the proceedings. I told my daughters they were done, because, you see, the very first question stated: “Read the entire page before starting.” And the final question stated something like, “Now that you’ve finished reading, answer only the 2^nd to the last question.” That was it. You had to read through everything, and then, based on the instructions; write your name in the top right corner. You didn’t have to solve any of the math questions or other problems. My daughters would have known this if they had read and followed the directions.

God has given us a book of instruction that is to guide us throughout our lives. It gives us by word and example the constructive guidelines to live a healthy, productive, and godly life. That instruction book, of course, is the Bible. It is not an outdated, antiquated story book; it is a living and breathing and encouraging set of letters to a dying word from a loving and faithful God, who wants nothing more than to save us from ourselves.

Unfortunately, too many people fail to read the instructions. They want to live life their way, never realizing that they don’t have to work so hard to find the answers. They're all right there in black and white: God loves you and wants you to accept His free gift of salvation so you can live forever with Him. And the way you receive this free gift is by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Why not take the time and read through God's instruction book? You'll find He truly wants to bless you with His love.