“It looked good on paper.” I often say that after some project I’ve attempted has not turned out like I expected. Or maybe a recipe I’ve tried looks nothing like the attractive picture that is included in the directions. Sometimes the ideas in my head would have worked had I actually written them on paper – and taken the time to read them to make sure I considered all aspects of the project.
There is one type of paper we can always rely on. The Bible contains the lessons God has provided for us to use in our lives. No, it’s not a specific list of steps to a joyous life. But every tool we need is there. And we need to read it. We need to search out the tools God has provided. God gave us a brain to use for making the most of our lives. There are people in our lives who can help us understand His words but ultimately it is up to us to decide what path we choose.
We all know someone who doesn’t find time to go to church or doesn’t think that church is relative to their life. They point to people all around them who don’t “practice what they preach”. Because Christians often fall short of the mark, they see the church system as flawed. Maybe we should invite only the most pious individuals into our churches. But then how do we sift out those who really do live like Christians should from those folks who are very good at hiding their sins? We don’t. Our paper reference, the Bible, instructs us to include all people in our church family. We are to be open to everyone who wishes to learn about God. We are to reach out to help with people’s physical needs as well as spiritual needs. We are to be God’s hands here on Earth. But to know what He wants our hands to do, we need to spend time in study and prayer. We can be assured that anything on the paper of the Bible is good. We still may mess things up, but God’s Word really does “look good on paper”.
Submitted by Linda Wheeler
