Can You Find Your Owner's Manual?

The other day a friend called me in a panic. He had lost his remote and was unable to change the channel on his TV. He needed the code for his universal remote but couldn't find his owners manual. He knew that I had the same satellite provider so he was hoping that I could dig mine out and find the code he needed. Well I didn't my owners manual so I fired up the internet and began searching. I looked through pages and pages of information and finally found something that I thought might work. My friend was so happy he was punching in the code while I was still on the phone!. The day had been saved!

That night, as I was recalling the event, I couldn't help but ask myself "Who reads their owners manual anyways?" Not me! I usually put them away as soon as they come out of the box, never to be seen again.

The amazing thing about the owners manual is that it becomes your saving grace the moment you actually need the information contained in it. It could be a warranty agreement, serial number (or in the case of my friend a code that has the power to unleash, or completely nullify, the power of technology) but no matter what you are looking for, our desperation suddenly makes that seemingly useless piece of literature into our best friend in the world! We will read it cover to cover and back again if we have to!

So as I thought about owner's manuals I couldn't help but parallel it to how I read my Bible.

My Bible is very much like an owner's manual! It contains lots of great instructions for achieving 'maximum performance', but unless I read it with an intention of doing what it says it is pretty much useless to me. However, when I come to God's word looking for (and surrendered to) what I will find, it becomes the greatest book ever written! It gets transformed from being a boring technical manual into something full of life and value.

What I began to realize is this - there is this amazing correlation between our desire to find wisdom and our willingness to live wisely.

When we pursue righteousness with a heart set upon obedience, we are able to access the wisdom of heaven. God's spirit enables us to understand the mysteries of heaven, as well as tap into His power for holy living. God reveals these things to us because He knows our desire is to obey. He sees that our heart is one of love for Him, because obedience is love, and so He shows us how we can be pleasing to Him.

But here's the thing - God's word says that we must live up to the revelation we have received. We are accountable for what we know. So if we read the Word and receive revelation, but don't obey, we experience a breakdown. We begin living as enemies of God. (The apostle James talks about this in his letter). But God does not want us to be disobedient, and so, I believe God with-holds revelation from those who are stubborn so that they will not have further judgment added upon them. God sees our hearts and so, in His incredible mercy, closes up the eyes of our understanding to protect us from having further judgment added upon us.

It is not that God does not want to reveal himself to the hard of heart, He is simply guarding us from our own immaturity. He does not want to us to incur more of His wrath.

Conversely, God delights in the hungry obedient heart because He knows that the revelation He gives will lead to a life that is pleasing and honoring to Him. God wants us to win. God wants us to be faithful not only for our own sake, but for His names sake! God wants to call us 'good and faithful servants', and prove that He is mighty to save, and so He reveals himself to those whom He trusts.

Are we trustworthy? Are we hungry with a heart set upon obedience?

Like my friend, who was desperate for information (and very eager to do whatever the manual said!) we must come to God's owners manual, the Bible, with an eager and willing heart. When we do, we will find a wealth of wisdom and power in the Words of God.

If we don't, the owners manual might as well be written in Mandarin!