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Life's Instruction Book
Stan Crowley, Minister, Church of Christ at Schertz
schertz@swbell.net
One of the best sellers several years ago was a publication
called "Life's Little Instruction Book." It was such a success that many
additional volumes have been published—promising life instructions for men,
women, young people, and other specific groups. It is not surprising that so
many are seeking instructional bits of wisdom to make life a little easier.
Learning from someone else's experiences is much better than learning from our
own mistakes.
Our society has learned some hard lessons in the past
generation—hard lessons learned the hard way. Only at the point of desperation
have many come to recognize and accept the danger to our society of drugs,
loosely-formed and uncommitted family units, and promiscuous sexual
relationships.
It is great that many have finally learned these lessons, but
what a price to pay! Was there no Life's Instruction Book where we could have
learned without the pain? How many more lessons are there to learn, and at what
cost? Are we doomed to learn them one at a time? Many times we do wish we could
consult that instruction book for living and avoid the suffering.
There is such a book, but it seems to have lost a lot of
credibility since the "God is Dead" era of the 1960's. The book is the Bible and
it claims to be just exactly that: Life's Instruction Book. An excellent example
of those life instructions is the counsel that Solomon gives his son Rehoboam in
Proverbs 4:10-27.
In verse 13, Solomon stresses the vital importance of
instruction, when he writes, "Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:
keep her; for she is thy life." Then, in verses 23-26, he lists four great
instructions for living life.
Watch your heart. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for
out of it are the issues of life" (verse 23). The "heart" is the part of man
that thinks and feels. Those thoughts and feelings are the seeds for all that
man produces in his life; and what you sow, you reap (Gal. 6:7). Do not allow
things to be planted in your heart that you do not want to harvest in your own
life.
Watch your mouth. "Put away from thee a deceitful mouth,
and perverse lips far from thee" (verse 24). Deceit is more than just stating
lies. It is any false impression we leave. How much of the stress of this life
is caused by our desire to create an image of ourselves that is bigger than we
are! We harm not only others but devastate ourselves.
Watch your eyes. "Let thine eyes look right on (straight
ahead, NKJV), and let thine eyelids look straight before thee" (verse 25). Today
we would say "set your goal" and "stay focused." How often do troubles come in
our lives when we take our eyes off of a worthy goal or pattern? Surely it is
this principle that the Hebrews' writer reflects when he writes we should be
"looking unto Jesus" (Heb. 12:2).
Watch your feet. "Ponder the path of thy feet, and let
all thy ways be established" (verse 26). What simple but profound truths: There
is a path; it can be established, and our feet should be on it with every step.
Man does not set the path. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but
the end thereof are the ways of death (Prov. 14:12). God's words set that path.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105).
Who can doubt the wisdom of these "instructions"—and they are
for life. In Prov. 10:17 (NKJV) Solomon concludes, "He who keeps instruction is
in the way of life."
What a refreshing change it would be for so much of society if
we were to begin to heed the words of the Bible. Since we, as a society, have
learned the wisdom of some of its teachings, maybe we should take another look
at the whole Book. It might save a lot of future suffering and give us the
necessary wisdom to better appreciate and even enjoy our lives. We have "Life's
Instruction Book"; we just need to follow it.
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