Today it is not so easy to make the right decisions at every crossroads. Each person has a different idea about what you should do, and any of the four directions feels right to you. Which one to take? Which one is right? I don’t want to go down one road realising after a day or three that I’ve taken the wrong turn.

A year or so ago I wrote on Crossroads about another pastor and I training pastors in Tanzania. On our return, there was a special offer at the airport of two beers for the price of one.

There was some criticism about this, but also questions. Also, honest and serious questions about whether a Christian may drink alcohol. I couldn’t just give a pat answer to these questions in my response.

I was reminded of the family on the slopes of the Helderberg who, because of their beliefs, pulled out all their vineyards and for the rest of their lives farmed with vegetables.

But a little lower down, closer to the coast, was Oom Koos Bredell. Oom Koos taught me everything there was to know about viticulture and wine making and helped me be a successful viticulturist for the first ten working years of my life. He was a sincere believer.

So, I struggled to give a right or wrong answer for those who wanted to know about drinking or not drinking. Everybody must make sure what the Lord’s will is for them.

Then people feel fairly uncertain and say they don’t know what to do. They don’t know enough. Where do you start looking for answers? For these crossroads in our lives we need the Word of God: ¹⁶There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way.

In a few pages, inside one book, there is an enormous and unbelievable amount of wisdom and information directly from God. It is within our reach. Many copies of this book lie around in our houses, but for one reason or another we simply chose not to read them.

When we read the Bible, we start getting to know God and a relationship develops. But we also get to know ourselves in the Word of God and we learn how to go and live life out there. In a way, it’s like a manual.

However, when we buy something new, we don’t like having to read the instruction manual. Usually, we first try to get it going and struggle on, trying to figure out how it works. We end up learning to use only part of it and don’t ever use the new device optimally.

That is exactly what God’s Word is: an instruction manual! It’s a manual that tells you how to act, what is best for you, how you have to take care of yourself, and much more. It doesn’t always have exact answers to all the questions, but if you study the Bible, then you change to become more aligned with God’s idea for and of you. As you walk in line with God’s idea for your life and as you grapple with the Word of God, the answers to your questions appear.

And the result? ¹⁷Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

Scripture
2 Tim 3:14-17

Reflection
Do you believe that God’s Word can help you with the issues in your life?
Do you read the Bible enough so that God can lead you through his Spirit?
Shouldn’t you make an appointment or commitment to study the Scripture every day?

Prayer
Father, You left us such a good ‘instruction manual’. Thank you for loving us so much that You will never leave us alone. You even thought of helping us through life by giving us your Word. Please help me to study it every day. Amen.