So, yesterday I was reading an article on-line about a pastor who has written a book about what the Bible says about sex. The journalist was criticizing the pastor for writing the book but, the pastor's stand was that there were tons of books out there on the topic and he felt like it was worth discussing God's standpoint on the issue. As I scrolled through this article I got to the bottom of the page and saw where people could post comments about the article. I begin to read them one by one intently thinking about each commenter's point of view when I came across one comment that read something to the effect of "why do Christians have to have a manual for everything...first the Bible and now a book about sex." (Don't quote me word for word on that but that is the main jest of it.)
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This comment immediately offended me. I sort of slid back in my chair in surprise. This commenter was so blunt and so abrasive. What about this one article made them react the way they did? Then I began to wonder if other people feel this same way. I began to think about my life before my salvation and not one time did I ever refer to the Bible as a "manual" in a derogatory way. As my day rolled on I just could not get that comment out of my mind.
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As I was walking into my building this morning I was thinking about my day, Kristina's theater production this weekend, Gabe's upcoming soccer tournament when that comment once again began to filter to the front of my thoughts. As I entered the elevator Psalm 119:105 came to my mind. "By your words I can see where I'm going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path." (MSG).
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God's word isn't a "manual" for us it is a "flashlight"!! Many people can go through life with tons of manuals giving them instructions on how to fix a car, pay a bill, work a remote control, etc. but no matter who cool and awesome you think you are with all your manuals stacked ten feet high, you still can't see in the dark! There is no manual out there in the whole wide world that can tell you how to see when there is no light.
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Oh, but if you have a flashlight you can see. Even a small child knows that if the lights go out to go get the flashlight. I can remember when my kids were little and storms would pop up, they would immediately begin to ask where the flashlights were. Psalm 119:105 doesn't say God's word is a manual on our dark path...it is a LIGHT! Do you have your flashlight handy today in case the lights go out?
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