Topic(s): Bible Study, Wisdom

I can vividly remember my first two-wheeler bicycle that my dad bought me when I was a boy. It was a red Huffy “Cheater Slick” with a banana seat. Now, when he bought the bike, he had a choice of buying a display model that was already assembled, or he could buy the “bike in a box” that he would have to assemble himself. We bought the bike in a box because it was five dollars cheaper.

So we took the bike home and spread all the parts out on the living room floor. To a little boy, it all looked so confusing. But one thing I knew . . . I knew where the hand grips went, so I popped them on the handlebar without reading the instructions. To my dismay, I later learned that I shouldn’t have been so hasty and should have read the instructions, for the handlebar had to be threaded through a joint prior to putting on the hand grips. Uh-oh. Too late. The grips were on, and wouldn’t come off, so one of the grips had to be cut off. Consequently, my red Huffy bike always had just one hand grip.

That lesson learned many years ago reminds me that life comes so much easier when we read the instructions. In fact, God left us an instruction book, the Bible. For instance, one of the things He tells us in the Bible is that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), and yet how many people do you know who are pursuing happiness apart from giving and selflessness? Friends, do yourself a favor and read the instructions before you make a mistake. God made you, and He knows best how you are to function. For best results, consult the owner’s manual. —Steve Higginbotham, Glasgow, Kentucky

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee . . .” —Psalm 32:8