We purchased a new audio/video cabinet for our TV, VCR and stereo. It had to be put together; that’s one reason it was cheaper. I’ve seen some products that say on the box "Some assembly required," but this box should have said "Complete assembly required." It came in a box that seemed far too small to contain all the pieces necessary to make the large cabinet. Somebody in their factory really knows how to pack!

Fortunately, a big booklet of instructions slid out of the box along with all of the many pieces. I did a characteristically un-male thing: I read the instructions and followed them carefully. I’m glad I did. The placement of hinges and determining which of the nearly identical boards should be attached to the left or right side was a lot easier because I followed the instructions.

I’m bragging about my success at furniture construction for a reason. My experience is a good example of the value of following instructions provided by the maker of a product. It seems to me that if we believe that God is the Maker of everything, including us, we need to take the Bible seriously, because it’s His instruction manual on living.

I try to read something from the Bible every day, though I don’t worry about my day being cursed by God if I miss my reading. I’ve simply found it to be one of the best habits I’ve ever established.

There are a few practical suggestions that I think can make a time of reading the Bible more profitable. I’d like to share them with you.

First, get a modern translation of the Bible. You may be able to find and dust off an old King James Version of the Bible, but the language is from the 1600s and difficult to understand. That’s because our language has changed so much since then. For instance, the Bible talks about showing charity to someone. Back in the 1600s that meant to show love. In a way it still does, but it more specifically calls to mind for most of us the idea of giving someone a handout or donating to a cause.

It’s not that we need new Bible translations because we’re trying to make the Bible say something different. It’s that our language is always changing and we need modern translations so the Bible says the same thing it’s always said.

Second, don’t start at the beginning of the Bible, like you’d do with most books. The Bible is really a collection of books, and it’s best to first jump ahead and read a part where you can more quickly get to its main message. I’d suggest you begin by reading one of the four Gospels, which are accounts of the life and message of Jesus. Of the four I’d suggest beginning with the Gospel of Mark because it’s shortest and moves along at a faster pace.

Third, I’d suggest you read no more than a chapter at a time. Some translations even have headings that subdivide the chapters into logical sections. One of the sections might be enough to read.

Fourth, ask God to help you understand His Word. Be open to what He wants to show you and teach you. Ask yourself, "Why did God include this passage in His Bible?" Be open to letting the message of the Bible change your attitudes, what you say and what you do. The instruction manual for my entertainment center wasn’t to be read as entertainment, but to be read so I could build the entertainment center. God’s Word is not simply to be enjoyed as literature; it’s to be applied in building our lives to be what God wants them to be.

Don’t let yourself get frustrated or discouraged if a particular passage doesn’t seem to make much sense or appears to offer no application for your life. I couldn’t always make sense out of why I was supposed to do a certain step in building my entertainment cabinet, but it’s built and ready for use. Reading God’s instruction manual will have a positive and permanent effect on helping us build a better life even those times we don’t find a particular passage understandable or memorable.

I need to put our electronic equipment into the new entertainment center. Now if I can just find those instructions on how to reset the clock on my VCR!

A fellow seeker after truth,
Dave