Sunday, May 8, 2011

Day 6 - Week 11 - Joshua 1:8 "This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth, you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you shall prosper and succeed in whatever you do."

"....so that you may carefully observe everything written in it."

What is the good of our reading Scripture, memorizing Scripture, reciting Scripture if it doesn't change our lives?  God's book of instruction is given to us so that we may live by His instructions.  Instructions are given for a purpose.  Just reading the instructions on how to plant and raise a backyard garden, doesn't get the seeds planted, fertilized, watered and weeded in order for the plants to produce a good yield.  You have to carefully (VERY carefully when planting a garden in the Texas panhandle!) observe everything written in the instructions and follow the instructions to a tee in order to have great summer vegetables.

In the same way God's book of instruction is given to us to construct our lives carefully, in order for them to be productive and produce the yield that He has planned for us.  Without following His instructions, our lives will never be as productive as they could be with the right cultivation.  Without following His instructions, we will most likely end up with times of "weediness" and "drought" that could be avoided.

The other thing to remember about instructions is you can't just read steps 1 through 4, and expect good results without going through all the listed steps.  In the same way, you can't read portions of the Bible, or segments, and expect the complete result.  As we stated earlier, the Bible is 66 books dependent upon each other...you need the complete set of instructions...all 66 books with the message in its entirety to understand God's complete directions for our lives.  It takes the whole book to get the whole message. 

Become fervent about knowing God's instruction for your life.  Become a diligent student of His instructions so that your life will be a product showing the result of "carefully following the directions."

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does."  James 1:22-25



1 comment:

donna said...

Each day we live is a new day with new challenges and new opportunities to learn more and share more. We need to carefully lead our lives with God's instructions. He has provided a Book of many stories to guide us through this maize of life. Simple encounters may have profound effects. God is with us always and forever. Scripture comforts me in all my daily needs. Learning these Scriptures guide us through relationships and help to know God's Will and his Plan.