The Proper Order of Things
You know that Swedish furniture store where everything you buy you have to put together yourself? It’s actually one of my favorite places to shop. I love their designs and styles, and I love that you can go there and get meatballs or cinnamon rolls at the cafeteria for a little break from the maze of departments. However, there is one thing that I dislike. Anything I buy from there, be it a lamp or a dresser, requires that I follow instructions fully from the beginning, in order to put it together correctly. I hate that part. I don’t do instructions well. Usually, I can take something and fumble through it until I get it put together, but not with Swedish furniture. It is next to impossible to get it to come out the way the designer intended unless you follow their explicit instructions.
“The thought of seeing my marriage and family crumble apart, all because I was too stubborn or prideful to look at the instruction manual to find out how to do it right, is terrifying.”
This is something that God recently pointed out to me as an area of pridefulness in my own heart and life. I don’t know if I am especially stubborn in this area, or if this is an intrinsic male, or even human character trait, but I don’t like to follow directions. I like to do things my way.
Doing things my own way can become dangerous even in the simple examples. If I buy a stand to hold my 75- and 1/2-inch TV but don’t follow the instructions to safely anchor it to the wall, the whole thing could come crashing down onto my dog and turn him into a pupperoni pizza. If I try to cook a frozen dinner and skip looking at the directions, there is a good chance that it isn’t going to come out right.
This is where the Lord got my attention, and it was a very sobering realization. I can live with a botched frozen dinner, or an epic furniture fail, but I cannot stomach the idea of my children not turning out right. The thought of seeing my marriage and family crumble apart, all because I was too stubborn or prideful to look at the instruction manual to find out how to do it right, is terrifying.
There has to be an eye-roll coming from someone right now. I know, there is no owner’s manual, right? Am I seriously comparing building cheap furniture to raising kids or managing a home? Well, yes, I am, and yes there is! It’s called the Bible, the very words of God preserved for all time for us to access for all sorts of things, and one of those things being wisdom. It’s alive! And it’s powerful! It is sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts straight to the point with surgical precision and gets right down to the heart of things (Hebrews 4:12). That’s exactly what it did when God used it to point out that I was making huge prideful mistakes in not following the wisdom of his direction when it came to my wife and children. The truth is, my marriage, my kids, and my stinky dog were all in danger of being put together all sorts of wrong.
Okay, so check it out… I just told you that the Word of God is alive! It has also been around since the beginning of time. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). In Proverbs 1:7, the Bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This very book that was with the Lord at the beginning of time is our source of wisdom and understanding. The Bible also says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God, that it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction unto righteousness (1 Tim 3:16-17).
To boil it all down, there is a living word of God, that has been around since the beginning of time, that is profitable for teaching, for correction, for instruction in right living so that ultimately the reader will be fully equipped for doing things right according to God’s plan. There is also a starting point that has to be emphasized. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That word fear isn’t used as being afraid of something but having a proper respect or reverence for the almighty God.
We need to put the first things first. In order to access this free and timeless wisdom, we must put God in His proper place, on his throne as king of our lives. And all of this comes down to accepting Jesus Christ for who he says he is.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). If you have accepted and trusted Jesus Christ as your saviour, and things are not coming together well in your life, there really is a simple solution. “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30). Turn back to Jesus, stop trying to do things on your own, and trust the Lord to give you wisdom from his word to live a life that is put together in a way that works.
If you have never known or accepted Jesus as your saviour, please know that he didn’t come to this planet to condemn anyone, but that through him the world might be saved. Accepting Jesus Christ is a solution to a problem that everyone of us has, and that is a problem with sin. It can look different in many ways for many different people, but the truth is, we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that the wages of our sin is death. Nothing we can do, can ever make up for that. That is why Jesus laid down his life and was hung on a cross. A perfect sinless man paid the sin debt for everyone who ever lived. He did this out of love, and the most important decision anyone can ever make is the decision to accept what he did for us.
If you have questions that were left unanswered, or questions that may have come up from this, please reach out to us here. We will gladly walk through anything we can with you.
Jeff Gray is a leader of LIFE Fellowship, a husband and a father of four. He also serves on the worship and security teams at Midtown Baptist Temple.
LIFE|Line is a ministry of Life Fellowship, a fellowship of Midtown Baptist Temple.
