Guided by God in 2021 and AlwaysSample

INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED

My husband once purchased a ready-to-assemble wardrobe complete with sliding doors, shelving, and lighting from the Swedish company Ikea. If you've ever bought a piece of furniture from Ikea, you know that it comes in parts, and you have to put it together yourself, instructions included. Although the voluminous directions may tempt you to piece it together on your own, it's best to follow the given instructions and use the screws and gadgets provided to put your article together the correct way. After two days, countless hours of reading and re-reading the instructions, considerable grumbling including the words, "Never again!" my dear husband completed the wardrobe. It was perfect! 

In the Bible, God gives detailed, precise instructions and commandments to His people. He begins in the second chapter of Genesis by instructing Adam and Eve from which tree in the Garden of Eden not to eat so they won't die. God gives Noah detailed instructions, including specific dimensions for building the ark so Noah, his family, and the animals will survive the flood. God gives Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai so Israel's new nation can lead a life of practical holiness. Exodus chapters 25 through 31 give God's precise instructions for building the temple and its contents as a center of worship, and chapters 35-39 tell how the Israelites carry out God's instructions. All Scripture is God-breathed, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and equips God's people for every good work, in the past, present, and future. 

While it may seem that many of God's instructions and commands exist only to take freedoms away, they are there for our greater good and protection and enable us to experience life at its best. According to God's teaching, direction, admonition, and commandments, His written Word teaches us how to live a God-centered life. How do you view God's instructions in the Bible? When you realize that they are there for your benefit, be thankful that God gave you his instruction manual. The Bible comes with instructions included that provide us with standards for wise and righteous living. God loves and cares about you so much and longs to instruct you for your eternal benefit. 

Willy Wiedmann's illustration shows Moses standing in front of the Israelites holding the Ten Commandments.