Instruction Manual for Life

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

When my kids were young, they’d spend hours playing with LEGOs. They’d build spontaneously, but the most fun was when they got a new giant set. Whenever one of them would get such a new set for Christmas, they’d both spend hours with the instruction manual, gradually piecing together over 1,000 parts to make it look like it did on the box. And that’s why they wanted that particular set – because they wanted whatever ship or structure that was pictured on that LEGO box. They could have just pieced the parts together however they wanted, but without following the instruction manual, they would have never been able to turn the blocks into what they were created to be.

You see where I’m going with this. In today’s passage, Paul said that the Bible is life’s instruction manual. It was inspired by God and as such, is useful for teaching us, correcting us, and training us, so that we may know the life for which we were made. It’s not just a book to know about. It’s a book by which we are meant to live.

I grew up in church. Bible stories were a fixture in my life for as long as I can remember. So, I’ve always known the Bible, but I’ve not always followed it. Instead, I’ve followed my own plan, creating my own thing. In doing so, I built a life of addiction, which was one of misery and disaster. In recovery now, the challenge has been to realize that my way is a mess. If I want a new life, I’ve got to follow something very different. For me, the only answer is to follow God. He created me to know a life of joy and peace in a loving relationship with him, and the Bible is his instruction manual on how to do that.

We were all made by God for a relationship with him. We all prefer though, to follow our own way, building our own thing. God allows that. He also allows us to create our own disaster. In his love however, he’s shown us the path to authentic life. If we’re willing, he’ll save us from ourselves. Not everyone will feel they need to be saved. Again, God allows that. If, however, we’re tired of the disaster of doing our own thing, then daily, we must turn to God’s word, following his plan. In doing so, we’ll build the new life of hope, joy, and peace for which we were made.