by John Grant
“…and the people stood in their place. And they read in the book, in the law of God, distinctly; and they gave the sense, so that they understood the reading. Nehemiah 8:7-8
As we decorated the front yard with Christmas lights one recent night, it was handy to have the headlights of the car to see what we were doing. After finishing our decorating, we realized that while the Christmas lights operate off of household current, the car depends on a battery and it is only good for so long and hence the need for jumper cables to the rescue.
I eased one car grill to grill to the other, opened the trunk, got out the jumper cables and then could not figure out how to pop open the hood. I looked and looked but could not figure it out, so I removed the owner’s manual from its original wrapping and found out how to proceed.
My friend Pastor Bob Record claims that the automobile owner’s manual is the least read book, even though most households own more than one. Is there a spiritual parallel here?
How often do we try to tackle the challenges of life and ignore the greatest book of advice …… God’s Word? Maybe the car manual is the least read, but the Bible isn’t far behind for many people, even though most own one or more. We struggle with life and leave the greatest advice book on life and living unopened.
Studying and reading is important in understanding God’s word and learning how to apply it in our lives. As Christians, it’s a major way that we draw closer to God.
Jesus realized the importance of people knowing Scripture, because He would teach from it when He was traveling from town to town. Not only that, but Jesus also used Scripture to battle Satan during his 40 days in the wilderness. Jesus said that the truth sanctifies us and that the word is this truth.
In Hebrews 4:12, the Word says, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Is God’s Word living and active in your life today? Read it daily and it will change your life.
You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughtsaboutgod.com/blog/2013/12/12/jg_read-the-manual/
John Grant is a former Florida State Senator and is a practicing attorney