The Manual

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 21

Gold Nugget
Verse 30: “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.”
                                                                                                                             
Commentary
I remember long ago when I was much younger having to replace the brake pads on my first car. Back in then, taking your car to the shop was only for major work. With several young kids to feed and clothe - (while still being a teenager), who could afford a mechanic? Every man learned the hard way how to change out parts himself. Back then you would go to the parts house, pretend to be considering whether or not to buy a Chilton manual for your vehicle, while really just reading what you need to know to change your part. I was poor and couldn’t afford the manual. Then you’d buy your part and try to remember what you read. I remember the Chilton telling me that I would need a c-clamp to change my brakes, but you guessed it... who can afford a c-clamp? I figured I could get that piston closed with something else. I thought I’d seen someone do it with a hammer once… Well, needless to say, I got that piston locked in there cock-eyed. I couldn’t back it out or press it in. I’ll never forget how frustrated I was that day and how many hours I’ll never get back. I finally found someone with a c-clamp and borrowed it to make an attempt at repairing my foul play. In the end, Old Chilton knew what he was talking about and his way succeeded over mine.  Like today’s “gold nugget”, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.”

You may think there is a cheaper way and easier way than the way designed by God in His Word, but in the end, after you’ve got everything all cock-eyed and you can’t get it to go right, you will find yourself referring back to “The Manual”. The good thing is how readily available The Manual is. In later years, I had a little more change in my pocket and owned several Haynes Manuals (that's a cheaper version of Chilton). Even then, owning one and reading it enough to be able to apply it could still be an issue. Be sure of this, God has designed a template for how one should live their life. Your life has already been in motion for some time. Can we afford to continue in it without getting into “The Manual”? I think not!

Prayer
Lord, despite my best intentions and greatest ideas, none of them compare to the plan you have already made for me. Help me to see just how much better life will be when I walk in you ways. Amen


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