Read The Book

My first husband was somewhat of a computer guru. He often bought broken computers and fixed them to sell. He had boxes and closets full of hard drives, mother boards, mouse(s), monitors, extra memory cards etc. As his illness took a toll on him, he became housebound and so, in order to remain useful, he became a beta tester for computer companies, like Corel and Photoshop. He was also a systems administrator for a computer company in Lubbock. Everyday, usually around 10 pm, our phone began ringing. (People with computer problems seemed to be most desperate after dark). Eddy would often talk with them for hours, trying to get their computer up and running and glitch free. He knew all the technical terms and jargon. I seldom understood anything he said, except for one particular phrase. Over and over again, his advice to consumers was "read the book". He explained that it made sense that the best one to solve the problem was the creator/producer of the device.

I have often thought how appropriate that advice is to Christians. The Bible is the manual that guides us everyday. From the book of Genesis, we learn how we were created, (in His image), and who created us. From the story of Cain and Abel, we also learn about appropriate sacrifice. We learn from the story of Noah, that God is all-powerful and can destroy the world just as He made it. We read about Joseph and Moses and we see that God is a God who rescues His own from man's evil schemes. We study Abraham and we see that God is indeed a promise making and promise keeping God. We travel with the Israelites through the wilderness and we learn that God provides for Him people. He gives us everything we need. From David, we learn about God's forgiveness. From Solomon we learn about wisdom and marriage. This book teaches us resilience in the struggles of the Apostle Paul, it teaches us courage to speak up in the zeal of Peter. It teaches us that God can make good things come out of bad situations. In this book, we learn about goodness and light, about sacrifice and redemption. We learn that we are loved by God and separated from Him, brought back only by His mercy through the blood of the Lamb.
The Bible tells us everything we need to know about life, love, worship, work, marriage, parenting, teaching, growing old, dying and living. It is the manual for God's creation. The very One who made us, gave us the instruction manual to help us fulfill all our potential.
Sometimes, things get crazy. We feel like we are beating our heads against a brick wall. We feel like we are riding the merry-go-round of life and getting nowhere. We try our best and yet we always end up taking two steps forward and three steps back. We can't figure out what we are doing wrong. Perhaps it is time to look to the One who has figured it out. Perhaps it is time to "Read the Book".

Peace
Neva

Hope y'all have an amazing worship tomorrow!!!
n