Congratulations—you’ve been given a present! It’s guaranteed by the manufacturer to be without defect. But it requires proper use and maintenance for your full satisfaction, so it comes with an owner’s manual to ensure your success. The manual is close at hand, and in case you misuse or abuse it, you can directly contact the manufacturer.
What is the gift? Your life is the gift—and as the owner, the most important thing you can do for skilled operation is to know the manual and learn all you can from the Maker.
There is only one “you.” Your life is an irreplaceable treasure, and God has called you for His purposes. But what creator would complete such a unique work, then launch it without instructions? Our God has not done that!
The gift of life—and a fresh new day to invest it in—arrives unstained each morning with the opportunity to bring your Creator glory. Thankfully, God’s wisdom is available every moment of the day. Listen to these instructions:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Mankind has split the atom, explores space, communicates instantly, and tracks events across the globe as they happen. Yet with all this, we’re in deep trouble. Today as never before, people clamor for direction for their lives. You hear them on radio or TV, or read online posts to advisors or psychologists. Many who used to call psychic hotlines now contact “life coaches,” talk show hosts—even politicians—hoping for that word of wisdom either to guide them or help them cope.
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105
Wisdom is not an emotional feeling. Wisdom is sanctified common sense, a judicial use of your mind, guided by the Word of God. As people seek answers in a world gone mad, how can you find God’s way to live your life to the fullest? In the owner’s manual, the Bible. Isaiah 58:11 says,
And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
While others rush to and fro, you can open your manual to Psalm 32:8 and read, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.”
Have you ever been guided just by a glance? Can you recall a time when a parent, spouse, or trusted friend has done that? That look in the person’s eye told you exactly what to do—or not do! Our Father offers this kind of guidance. But it comes only from an intimate relationship with the Guide, formed by time spent with Him.
God’s wisdom comes not only by His Word but through the Holy Spirit, living within you. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;...” The Holy Spirit will guide you in matters where specific guidance is needed. God will speak to your heart when you’re walking in the Spirit.
If you are a child of God, you have the Father above you, overseeing all things. You have the Son beside you, directing your steps. You have the Spirit within you, impressing your heart and leading you. God has a plan for your individual life. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The wisdom you need—God’s wisdom—is revealed in His Word, by His Spirit, and through prayer. Your assignment is to find, follow, and finish the plan. Spend time every day meditating in His Word. You will become “like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).
As you are guided by the Word of God—God’s objective truth, the Witness of God—the Holy Spirit impressing your heart, and the works of God—His providential opening and closing doors, you will have God’s wisdom for your every need.
