Directions in the Book

Raise your hand if you read directions.

How many of you muddle through something figuring it out as you go?

A few weeks ago, the Peterson’s got a trampoline. And it took all 6 of us to put it together. Scott, Austin, DJ, Kylie, Jaylen and myself. Some of us read the directions… some of them did not.
Took us about 2 hours to get it up – the same time, (I read in the reviews) that it took a dad and his 12 year old daughter to put it together. Maybe they started with the directions.
Some of our problems: parts were left in the box, parts were put on backwards, a belief that the directions couldn’t be right, so let’s try it this way instead. Some of you are nodding in agreement and get it, some of you are like: “Fools – read the directions before you start”.
It’s common sense – it’s basic.

Right now there are a lot of words and opinions flying around social media and news stories. Right now there is a lot of hate and fear being justified and used to divide. Right now we’re a mess. Kinda like our tramp looked at one point. Because we got away from the basics of reading how to put it together. It feels like people are getting away from the basics of the Bible: we leave verses or parts in the “box”, we take verses and twist them to fit what we think it means, we read passages and figure we know better, so we will do it or say it our way.

God keeps it real simple for us: Love Him and love others.

Every post, every tweet, every snapchat, every story you read or post, every conversation you have or hear, can be looked at through that lens – does this love God and love others? And then ask God what can I do to change it so it does?

It’s easy for me to look at the rally’s and protests in Charlottesville and know what side I’m on. Being a white mom with black kids it’s not hard to guess what I think and feel about the white supremacists and their chants. See they forgot/don’t want to go to the basics – Love God Love Others. But am I any different when I look at the hatred in my heart I feel towards them? I don’t know how to change that.

We were challenged on Sunday to be a person devoted to the Book. We were challenged to be a church that is devoted to the Book. To read it, to receive it, to revere it to our hearts… to respond in the way we live and love. We were challenged to be a church that can make an impact in this broken mess of a world we are in if we are devoted to the Word of God.

Let’s be people that study the Directions given to us before we jump in.
Let’s be people that glance at social media, but study the Truth.
Lord let me be a person that takes to heart what I read it and live it with the Grace and help of the One who wrote it, because we live in a broken and messed up world.

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear it and take it to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3