A Christian’s Owners Manual

” The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.” – Psalm 119:160 (NASB).

Every new vehicle has one. It’s found in the glove compartment of the car. It’s an owner’s manual. If you thumb through it, you’ll see everything you need to know about how to care for your vehicle: what warning signals mean, and how to use the new, hi-tech “infotainment” touch screens. It has the answers to most questions about your vehicle. However, most owners’ manuals are never used as often as they should. Most people don’t make a habit of reading owner’s manuals before they need them. In fact, the most popular time to read the owner’s manual of a car is when there’s a flat tire or a weird light pops up on the dashboard, or some other problem.

Human beings are more complicated than any car. So God, our designer, and manufacturer gave us an owner’s manual. It’s called the Bible, the Word of God. Inside this manual is all we need to know to live life to the fullest. Yet, for most people, this owner’s manual is not read until we have a problem.  By the time we looked in the Bible for answers, something in our lives needed repair. Some days it was a broken relationship; other days it was a bitter attitude or bad decision we made. Focusing on the Bible means we stop using the Bible as a reference book and start using it as a manual on how to navigate this thing called life. In other words, reading and focusing on the Bible is the means of preparing us for life, rather than rescuing us from the storms of life.  

Since the Bible is our manufacturer’s owner’s manual, doesn’t it make sense that we should study it more often and thoroughly than we do? Regardless of what season of life you are in, there is still so much to learn about God. Reading the Bible reminds us that our knowledge of God is insufficient and can always be improved. Reading the Bible completely forces us to reflect upon all aspects of God’s character and allows us to know Him in new ways.  The Lord will meet you in surprising ways as you place yourself in His word.

The writer to the Hebrews says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (Hebrews 4:12). So it was then; so it is now. Through the Bible, God speaks, and therefore through the Bible, every generation is confronted with the very word of God. The Bible remains as alive as ever to the needs of the human condition.  

With the Bible at our fingertips, we have a story of God’s faithfulness right in front of us to show us one example after another of who God is. The Bible is the greatest tool we have. We want every believer to have a renewed confidence in understanding the Bible and a hunger to know it more.

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean to meditate on scripture? How do you practically meditate? 
2. Simply reading and meditating on God’s Word is not enough.  Agree or disagree and why?