Day 11 - 40 Days of HOPE
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of HOPE
Day 11 | THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
40 Days of HOPE
Day 11 | THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Romans 15:4
“Whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction so that we could have HOPE through endurance and through the encouragement of Scriptures.”
How many times have you purchased something new from a Big Box store, brought it home, opened the box, thrown the instructions to one side, and started trying to use the thing?
Surveys show that MOST people do that, arguing that they don’t have time to waste with instructions, or they think they know pretty much everything, or they figure common sense is enough. Digging deeper into the “why,” surveys show that the primary reason people don’t read manuals is this… they are lazy!
Many Christians treat God’s Word like that too. We tend to think that we don’t have time, that we “know pretty much” what’s in there, that we have common sense anyway. But the real reason most Christians probably don’t spend more time in the Word of God? Much like manuals that come with new appliances… if we’re honest, we’re lazy.
The lack of “reading the manual” – in the case of God’s Word – manifests itself during the TOUGH times when things aren’t going well. When we, or someone we love, is hurting. When we feel desperate, THEN, we wish we had a HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT source and had more ENDURANCE. And those are the things that God’s Word offers.
As the Scripture above says – (God’s Word) was written “for our instruction so that we could have HOPE … ENDURANCE … and ENCOURAGEMENT,” through the Scriptures.
Now it’s your choice, but just like those manuals for appliances around the house, the best time to learn from them is BEFORE you’ve messed it up. It’s the same with the Word of God.
Prayer: LORD, help me remember that Your Word is a trustworthy guide for all the issues and events of my life. Help me not to be lazy about my relationship with You and Your Word. Amen.
Romans 15:4
“Whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction so that we could have HOPE through endurance and through the encouragement of Scriptures.”
How many times have you purchased something new from a Big Box store, brought it home, opened the box, thrown the instructions to one side, and started trying to use the thing?
Surveys show that MOST people do that, arguing that they don’t have time to waste with instructions, or they think they know pretty much everything, or they figure common sense is enough. Digging deeper into the “why,” surveys show that the primary reason people don’t read manuals is this… they are lazy!
Many Christians treat God’s Word like that too. We tend to think that we don’t have time, that we “know pretty much” what’s in there, that we have common sense anyway. But the real reason most Christians probably don’t spend more time in the Word of God? Much like manuals that come with new appliances… if we’re honest, we’re lazy.
The lack of “reading the manual” – in the case of God’s Word – manifests itself during the TOUGH times when things aren’t going well. When we, or someone we love, is hurting. When we feel desperate, THEN, we wish we had a HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT source and had more ENDURANCE. And those are the things that God’s Word offers.
As the Scripture above says – (God’s Word) was written “for our instruction so that we could have HOPE … ENDURANCE … and ENCOURAGEMENT,” through the Scriptures.
Now it’s your choice, but just like those manuals for appliances around the house, the best time to learn from them is BEFORE you’ve messed it up. It’s the same with the Word of God.
Prayer: LORD, help me remember that Your Word is a trustworthy guide for all the issues and events of my life. Help me not to be lazy about my relationship with You and Your Word. Amen.
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