Stephanie Bender-leggett

The Essence of "If" Stephanie Bender-leggett

Contrary to popular belief, the Bible is not a book we cannot understand. Would our gracious God leave us an instruction manual that doesn't tell us what we need to know? Many people seem to think so. The old adage, "When all else fails, read the instructions", should not apply to the direction of our lives. Our Lord inspired those men He trusted to write everything we need to know to make our precarious way to the kingdom He want to share with us for all eternity. When He chose us for this special place He had in mind that we should be the kind of souls He would enjoy forever. Therefore, He set out some specific characteristics He wants us to adopt. First, He consulted with His own triune character and they agreed He should make us in His image. When His chosen ones failed to fulfill that plan, He sent Jesus to show us what He expects of us. Knowing what obstinate creatures we are He sent His Holy Spirit to help us meet His expectations. He knew what bad memories we have so He left us an instruction manual with all the specifications required for us to make a successful journey from this life to His eternal heavenly kingdom. All we need to do now is read the manual and follow His instructions. The "if " statements in the Bible clarify what God wants from us. If we love Him, and if we want to spend forever with Him, we need to know and obey His words. It's not as hard as you might think, if you truly know Him.