Go by the
Book

he procedure was simple. Disconnect all hoses and wires, take out the radiator, remove the mounting bolts, then lift out the engine with a chain hoist. I thought I had done everything right, but the little four-cylinder motor in my 1968 Opel wouldn't come out. Finally after several frustrating tries, I went to "Mr. Goodwrench," a local mechanic, for help. He gave me The Opel Service Manual. Turning to the section on removing the engine, I discovered that the motor must be dropped and taken out from below. Carefully following each step brought good results. Going by the book made the difference between success and failure.
    The Bible is life's service manual. It was written by our Creator through men He inspired to show us how to succeed, not by this world's standards, but by His standards. Are you consulting God's manual often?
                                                         —Dennis J. DeHaan

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eople called him a self-made man, but John Wanamaker knew differently. True, the originator of free delivery and the slogan "the customer is always right" started by making those deliveries himself, using a wheelbarrow, and went on to become U.S. Postmaster General and one of the country's greatest merchants. But he didn't make himself successful. John Wanamaker explained it this way: "In my lifetime, I have made many purchases. I have bought things which have cost me thousands of dollars, but the greatest purchase I ever made was when I was a boy twelve years old. I bought a Bible for two dollars and fifty cents, and that was my greatest purchase, for that Bible made me what I am today."
    John Wanamaker became a great man because he, as a poor boy, loved God and His Word. He loved the Bible, read it, and followed its teachings.

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alter F. Burke, former general manager of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Mercury and Gemini projects, and vice president of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, teaches Sunday school in his church. In an interview he declared: "I have found nothing in science or space exploration to compel me to throw away my Bible or to reject my Savior, Jesus Christ, in whom I trust. The space age has been a factor in the deepening of my own spiritual life. I read the Bible more now. I get from the Bible what I cannot get from science—the really important things of life."

    An oriental scholar was employed by some missionaries to translate the New Testament into a certain dialect. At first the work of translating had no effect upon the learned man. But after some time he became quite excited and said, "What a wonderful book this is!"
    "Why so?" said the missionary.
    "Because," said the man, "it talks so precisely and exactly about myself. It knows all that is in me. The one who made this book must have made me."

    If you were going on a long journey and didn't already know the way, you would bring along a map, wouldn't you? Well, you are on a long journey--life. The one who does know the way has instructed some of His men to draw a detailed map so you won't get lost and so you can learn the right way to operate down here and ultimately make it safely to your final destination!
    To say you don't have time to read God's map, the Bible, is like a driver going on a long journey and saying, Well, I'm in such a hurry to get there I don't have time to look at the map!But if you'll just take the Bible and simply read it, believe it and follow it, you will be on the right path and wind up at the right place!

—David Brandt Berg