“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 NASB)
During the 1950’s, I remember when the one black and white television, the only TV in the house, went haywire. It wasn’t like the end of the world back in those days. Kids knew how to entertain themselves in living color with creative games and playing that did not require any electronics, only imagination and the meagerest number of things that could be transformed. Towels and sheets were turned into capes for superheroes and supervillains. Chairs from the dining room were turned into four-seater cars. Big blankets became indoor tents in an imaginary jungle located in the dining area.
When the little internal tubes or fuses would go bad in the TV, I remember being sent to the drugstore three blocks down the street to get a replacement part, a modern-day marvel type of part at the time in order to fix the set and get the picture right. In today’s world these parts fall in the classification of “vintage” parts. While the latter “vintage” parts are only collectors’ items, in the old days they were correcting items, needed to replace the small, glass prong tubes or fuses that were dysfunctional. Some of you readers will have to research about what went on back in the day, a time when viewers who were fortunate to even have a TV, had less than a handful of channels to choose from, and when programming ended around 11:00 p.m. with the playing of the National Anthem. But in my experience, if you wanted to fix the TV back then, so you could have a clear picture, you set out on your errand, hoping that the drugstore had the exact part that you needed. We should have been praying, right? But listen, If you could not find the right little tube or fuse, you were lost. Side note: God does not want you to be lost in any respect. And He definitely wants you to have a perfect picture.
Back to the story. It’s not like that today. Most people, when their smart television stops providing a good picture, they just buy a newer, improved, lightweight, flat screen model. However, if purchasing a new TV is not an option, to see the picture on the TV in a certain room, for TVs are in almost every room nowadays, you still may need to do some repairing; hopefully just some replacing.
The history lesson is over. Here is your first holy living lesson of the week, not counting the lessons you got at church yesterday. Amen? The lesson: If you ever need a complete, good picture to make sure you can see what is going on in your life; if you ever need to make an adjustment to your vertical (your relationship with God) or your horizontal (your relationship with others), you don’t need to take one step out of the house. There is no need to go to the drugstore or the electronic specialty shop to purchase a single part at an inflated cost. There is no need to go to the “How to Fix It” page on the Internet. All you have to do is go pick up one of (Notice I said. “one of.”); pick up one of the Bibles in your house. Get into the word of God, search and find out how to remedy your “picture” problem. Here is the good news, described by two facts: (1) The remedy can be found. (2) The fix is free. You just have to follow directions.
The TV manuals and diagrams of old eventually became obsolete. Not so with God’s word! God’s word will remain as complete and as in tune with the ages, at anytime on this earth. The closing verse enables us to make that claim. Now, with the lesson completed; not new perhaps, just repeated or a rerun of a previously taught word, presented differently to get your attention, here is what you should do. Adjust the “picture” in your life every time it is necessary, depending on the word of God. Have a great start to the work week my dear friend! Be blessed!
“True, the grass withers and the wildflowers fade, but our God’s Word stands firm and forever.” (Isaiah 40:8 The Message Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King