Those who love your instructions have great peace (….) -Psalms 119:65 (NLT)
Have you heard the comment, “When all else fails, read the instructions”?
Recently my wife and I visited a plant nursery where we bought an ornamental shrub. When we got home I volunteered to plant it, so I dug a hole, put in some fertilizer, removed the plant from the container, and planted it. Pleased with my success, I then turned the plant tag over and finally read the instructions on the back: “Loosen the root ball before planting,” which I had failed to do. Planting something with a tight root ball can keep it root-bound and hinder its growth. In keeping with the adage “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” my wife then dug it up, loosened the roots, and replanted it, correctly that time.
With 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Tucked away about one-third of the way through is this promise: “Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.”
In this case, another word for “instructions” is “law.” The mention of “God’s laws” can make some people bristle because it makes God sound “judgy” and like a cosmic killjoy. However, what if you thought of the Bible, instead of a long list of do’s and don’ts, as a kind of Instruction Manual for Life?
If you buy a car and the owner’s manual tells you to change the oil every 3,000 miles, you will do it. That command is not designed to waste you time or money or take your fun away. It’s in the book because the auto manufacturer knows that the engine must have fresh oil periodically. In other words, the people who designed and made the car know best what it needs to function properly. Or consider this example: even though a cake is supposed to taste sweet and not salty, imagine if you ignore the recipe telling you to add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Although that amount is tiny, a cake without it will taste flat and be a failure.
If you believe God created you and knows you, then wouldn’t it make sense to follow the “owner’s manual” He gave us, the Bible?
Do you want more peace in your life? Then the word for you today is, “follow the instructions.”
S.D.G / S.D.G.
