Years ago I bought a nice Lincoln, and drove it for about a year, and I took real good care of it, often waxing it each week.  My wife and I were at her mother’s house in Joplin, Mo, when a fellow minister came to see me.  We had never met before.  I was in Mom’s driveway detailing the Lincoln when this ratty, smoking car drove up.  I remember it had a vinyl roof that had partly detached and was flapping in the wind.  The driver stopped and turned the car off, and it smoked, chugged, backfired a couple times and finally died.  It was almost funny. 

He got out and asked for me and introduced himself.  Then he walked over and said, Wow, this is a beautiful car, is it yours?  I told him it was, and as we were talking, the LORD told me to give it to him, that he needed a dependable car to replace his junker.   Well, that’s fine, but we were 225 miles from home, and needed the car to get home, so I just kept it to myself and told my wife later that day.

I took the car to the Lincoln dealer and told them to go through the car and fix anything it had wrong, and to put a new set of Michelin tires on it.  I took it home and cleaned out the glove box, and was looking through the Owner’s manual.  Funny, I just never took the time to read the manual, I just drove it.  And much to my surprise, I found many things that car could do that I had no idea of, and several features that I’d never made use of.  Now, the car was paid for, and I had full access to all the options, but having never read the Owner’s manual, I never got to take advantage of quite a few of those nice options.  My bad. 

 Well, the next week we made another trip to Joplin, and I drove the Lincoln, and Jenny drove one of our Mercedes.  I took the title for both the Lincoln, and the Mercedes with me.  We got there and called the minister and asked him to meet us back where we met the first time, and he came over.  Again, the junker he was driving died belching, backfiring, rattling and smoking.  And again, he admired the Lincoln.

I shared with him that the LORD told me to give him the Lincoln, but also asked if he’d rather have a Mercedes instead.  He said, he would rather have a Lincoln, so I signed the title over to him and handed him the keys.  He stood there and cried.  I thought I would too, because I really liked that Lincoln.  Maybe too much.  But yet I had joy in my heart to be able to bless a fellow minister and meet his need.

I said all that to say this: God has given us His Owner’s Manual, the Holy Bible, to instruct us on how to live while we are here on this earth.  Yet far too many of God’s children have not read the entire Owner’s Manual.  One of my favorite passages is found in Psalm 103:2-6,

2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

 3  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

 4  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

 5  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 6  The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

            You see, my friend, if you haven’t read the Bible, you’re missing out on a lot of “benefits” that have been bought and paid for by Christ Jesus on your behalf.  People say, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you.”  That’s a lie!  What you don’t know can KILL you!  When the LORD showed me those verses, I had cancer and was dying.  I didn’t know Jesus had already paid for my healing, and my ignorance of what belonged to me almost killed me.

            I got into my Bible and devoured it daily, and found out there are so many wonderful promises in there that are available to any believer, who will just lay hold onto them and use them.  It cost me a Lincoln to teach me to read the Owner’s Manual to find out what belonged to me and put it to use.  I’ve learned about how to be healed, as well as how to help others be healed.  I’ve learned about sowing and reaping through the years as well.  I’ve given several cars away, including my last three Mercedes.  And yes, I’ve read all the owner’s manuals since giving away the Lincoln.  But the best Owner’s Manual I’ve ever found is the Holy Bible, which is chock full of good stuff that God has bought and paid for, for His children to enjoy and use while we’re here on earth.

  Get in your Holy Bible and study it like your life depends on it, because it does.  Every book is like a treasure map, telling you how to live an abundant and full life, but you have to search it diligently like you’re looking for hidden treasure.  We all like blessings, right?  Well, I sure do, anyway.  Don’t waste your resources God has made available to you, like I did with that Lincoln.  God loves you and wants you to be blessed!