RTHM! – Read The Holy Manual

“Take hold of my words with all your heart;

keep my commands, and you will live.

Get wisdom, get understanding;

do not forget my words or turn away from them.

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;

love her, and she will watch over you.”

(Proverbs 4:4-6)

I recently signed up for Bible reading via an app on my phone. I have a real fascination when it comes to gadgets and being able to have a reading plan on my phone, with daily reminders so that I don’t forget, is a real blessing. This morning part of that reading was Proverbs 4 and something about it struck me in a new way.

I'm often guilty of getting a gadget home, and despite the obvious advantages of doing so, I launch into using it without reading the instruction manual. This sometimes works out OK, and I find that it does what it is supposed to. Sometimes though I find that, no matter how many buttons I press, or however many times I switch it off and then on again, it doesn't do quite what I expected of it. This is the point when frustration can set in. This is where a little patience at the start could have avoided a problem later on.

Even worse I suppose are the times when I have eventually read the manual, in some cases months or even years after a purchase, and have discovered an amazing function that would have made my life better. If only I'd read the manual in the first place! This has happened to me more times than I'd care to admit. Perhaps you are like me in that respect. You're so keen to get on with the living part that you don’t stop and gain the wisdom you need beforehand in order to live life to its utmost.

It is because of this realisation that I am trying to make sure that I read the manual now. Wouldn't it be a disaster to get to the end of your life and find that, if only you'd read the manual and done something about it, then life could have been so much better. The manual I’m talking about?

The Bible

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 
(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” 
(Psalm 119:105)

God clearly tells us that His Bible is there for us as an instruction manual for life. It is full of wisdom, comfort, advice and so much more which make our lives more fulfilling in every way you could imagine. Reading the Bible is an absolute necessity in the Christian walk, and it tells us so:

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 
(Matthew 4:4)

So why is it often so hard to read regularly? I know that regular reading of the Bible has been something I have struggled with all of my Christian life. There is an enemy who does not want us to read the Bible. The enemy doesn't want us to have clear instructions for living a Godly existence and so we can find ourselves feeling too distracted, tired or confused. Reading the Bible is a real commitment, as it is not enough to just read the words. Prayer, contemplation and waiting on the Lord are needed too. If you read the Bible and pray for wisdom, God will help you to understand.

 “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
(2 Timothy 2:7)

A way of making sure this happens, to defeat the enemy, is to set aside a regular time for reading, making and keeping that commitment. Maybe an app, or something similar, can help you too. There are many other things that we manage to do in our lives without making excuses (many of which are far more time consuming and of no benefit to us at all) so surely we can make the sacrifice of time needed to grow closer to God.

There are a whole host of reasons to read the Bible - here’s just a few:

• You get to know God better – it is His word and tells us of His thoughts.
• You grow spiritually – the Bible teaches you EVERYTHING you need to live a Christ-like life.
• You avoid false teaching – if there is teaching which is not scriptural – it is not of God. How will you be able to recognise false teaching if you haven't read the correct teaching?
• You know what to believe – when you’ve made a commitment, you owe it to yourself and to God to know what that commitment involves so you can live right in the eyes of the Lord.
• You learn about yourself – by measuring your life against how God wants you to live.

However, simply reading the Bible is not enough. You have to believe. It’s not like any other book of instructions. Mechanically following the teachings for Christ-like living and being a good person will not get you into heaven by themselves. In order to reach Heaven you have to give your life to Jesus:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”
(John 5:39-40)

To truly follow His word, you must believe and come to Jesus in humility and repentance, accepting Him into your heart…then you will have eternal life.

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.”
(John 6:63)