In today’s age, technology is all around us. People have many different types of technology, such as cell phones, laptops, and computers. When you take a product, every product has a manufacturer. And every manufacturer that makes a product always makes sure that the product has built-in success; otherwise, the outcome would never sell. Take the Apple logo, for example.
The Apple computer has a symbol on it that represents the company. That symbol also represents the brand of the company leading to the success of the company.
The symbol will never represent a product that is not their own or has not gone through the testing to make sure the product is successful. The product must go through all the tests to ensure that it is deserving of the symbol. Once the product has the logo, it is placed in a packaging box and delivered to you. The product is essential to the manufacturer.
Because of this, every manufacturer gives a manual in its product box. The manual tells the instructions of the product. The Word “manu” means “to make,” and “al” means “to think.”
The maker’s mind and thoughts are on that piece of paper. The instructing tablet, the guide, the secret to the product’s success are all in that manual. Usually, when you open a product package, the first thing you see is not the product; it is typically the manual.
That manual is placed visually in the box first because of the whole intent of the manufacturer. The script is for you to read about his or her product before using it. If you do not use the product in how the manufacturer has described it, it will not work. Point blank, the product was not made by you. You are merely using a created product.
And yet, how many people read this manual? Maybe half, or a little less than half? Does it depend on how complex the product is?
Regardless, how many people read the Word of God and claim that they are Christian?
We never read the manual because it takes too much time, and we would prefer to figure it out on our own. But if we don’t read the manual, we don’t understand the manufacturer’s mind concerning the product.
The manual is a book of principles. When you put these guides into practice, product success is guaranteed. The manual is a guide of promises that lists what the product will do if appropriately used. This product is guaranteed to do this when used in the right way.
Many times a manual has warnings. For example, do not operate this product under extreme heat or use particular batteries, or the product will not work. There is a list of instructions or, therefore, a list of rules and promises. There are many laws in this manual, but these laws are there because the manufacturer wants to guarantee that whoever uses it will be satisfied.
If God’s word is the bible, and the text is the manual of God, that means the document has God’s thoughts on paper. The manufacturer who is God has displayed all his laws, promises, principles, and ingredients for success in his manual. If used in the way that he originally made, there will be a success for that user. What is the product?
The product is you. How do you expect to operate in life if you do not know how you function spiritually? You did not make yourself mentally or physically. Your manufacturer is God, and He is the only one that can tell you how to operate yourself successfully.
Dr. Myles Monroe talks about this analogy. He states that many times in a manual, the manufacturer will give a warranty or a guarantee. They will say that they guarantee this product works.
They might also say that if the product does not work correctly, there is a warranty. In other words, the company will want you to return their product if it is not functioning correctly because that is how much they care about the brand of their company. They do not wish to have any malfunctioning products carrying their logo and representing their company.
Dr. Myles Monroe gave this simple analogy to state that if your life is not working correctly, go back to the company. Go back to your creator.
Go back to the word of God. Go to his manual.
A manual often states that if the product is not working, do not attempt to fix it yourself! Find an authorized dealer. Why does it say authorized dealer?
Because there are many dealers out there, there are many religions, people, and books that will claim that they know how to fix you. These are fake dealerships. They say they represent the company, but they do not.
Jesus Christ is an authorized dealer of your body, mind, and spirit. He knows how you function, and he knows how you work. We all know that Jesus had a purpose. He had a mission. His success came from inside of him. He was going to lay down his life so that you could have yours. And he did it through submission and obedience.
And now, as God’s product, we have the opportunity to do the same. When we don’t try to live a life of obedience and submission to God’s word, we risk misrepresenting Jesus. We’re not perfect, but if we’re not consistently trying to repent and grow and learn from our mistakes and move on from our past to be better for Christ, then that’s when we start to taint not only our image but God’s image.
A product that is not working costs a misrepresentation of the image of the company. If you received an apple computer and the computer stopped working, you would write a bad review of the product and the company. You could even state that you demand your money back, and most companies will give it back to you because they do not want to risk a bad review of their company.
In society, people have claimed they represent Christ and yet do not do what the bible says. When that happens, someone who does not know God sees that misrepresentation and then assumes that all Christians are like that.
Even worse, getting hurt by a person who misrepresents God ties to targeting God and the person.
2 Corinthians 5:20
20 We are, therefore, Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
God created everything in the world to be successful. Everything God created has built-in success. A fish will never try and swim on land. A bird will never try and swim underwater. When you plant a seed in the ground and water it, you do not need to pray for it to grow.
Fish are a lot smarter than human beings because they stick to the laws by which they abide. Humans are the only thing that God created, and we believe we can make our laws and not need God.
Psalms 1: 1-3
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
We are guaranteed success when we lay down our lives for God. He promises us victory when we stand with integrity and within our convictions when people, who don’t have our best interest in mind, come and try and test those convictions.
We are guaranteed success when we take delight in the law of the Lord, which is something that religious people might talk about, but spiritual people will take pleasure. We are his product, and he is the manufacturer. The first thing that he put inside us is his image, and he wants you to succeed.
Whatever you do, he wants you to succeed, but it’s not to make you look good. It’s to make his image and his company or his kingdom look good. Do what you do to represent God proudly and glorify the kingdom. Represent the kingdom with your actions, your words, and your heart.
That’s why we’re here on this earth to glorify Him. As well, representing him with the logo and symbol that he placed on your heart before you were even born. When in doubt, use the manual. Use the Word of God to read about God and learn about you, His product.
Your soul has a price, and you are not your own. We have a maker and a creator. God fearfully and wonderfully made you. The purpose that God placed inside of you is found in your heart.
Ask Him, knock on the door of his God’s heart by seeking Him. When you find Him, you find yourself. When you become a person after God’s heart, you find your own. The Word of God is our manual for success. Use it!
