The Promise & The Word

The Bible - Our Basic Instructions before Leaving Earth
By Brendalyn Crudup Martin

The other day I read an article about a little boy who told his father that he knew what BIBLE stands for. The father was amused and told his son to explain the meaning. The boy replied, BIBLE stands for “Basic Instructions before Leaving Earth.”

When we take the time to study God’s WORD, we find a wealth of knowledge. The sad fact is that many of us seldom take the time.

We find ourselves caught up in the daily rat race of the material world. We worry about our jobs and how we will pay our bills, the house note, the car note, food and clothing, yet we don’t seem to worry about giving God His due. We worry more about paying for gas for the car, than paying our tithes.

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Matt 6:31

Seek ye first, the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things shall be added unto you. Matt 6:33.

We take time to plan for our vacation, check the price of car rentals, plane and bus tickets, and even the railways, to make sure we have enough money. We check to see how the weather will be, so we can have the right clothing and know the best route to take.

If we are driving, we get all the maps necessary to make sure we make it to our destination as quickly and safely as possible. We strive to follow all the directions and instructions for our trip, yet we spend little time preparing for the most important trip we will ever make.

Verily, I say unto you, except you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Matt 18:3

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21

So our instructions tell us we must become innocent and trusting, like little children and obedient to the will and commandments of God. But Matt 19:16-22 shows us we must also pick up the cross and follow Jesus.

When the young nobleman asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life, Jesus replied:
Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. Matthew 19:17

Then Jesus continued by telling him not to kill, commit adultery, steal or bear false witness. He also told him to honor his father and mother and love his neighbor as he loves himself.

The young man told him that he had kept all these commandments since he was a child and wanted to know what he lacked. Jesus told him that if he wanted to be perfect, then he needed to sell everything he had and give it to the poor and follow him, and then he would have treasure in heaven.

This made the young man very sad because he was very rich and did not want to give up his possessions. Some of us are like that young man, holding onto worldly treasures that we can’t take with us when we should be storing up treasure in heaven.

That’s why Jesus told his disciples, “Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:23

We are warned not to let our possessions prevent us from entering Heaven. We must also be careful how we treat each other.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Matthew 5:44

Sometimes that feels almost impossible to do. Especially when someone wrongs you, persecutes you, lies about you, in some cases, and physically abuses you. Sometimes we struggle with our feeling of pain and anger and this also becomes a barrier that keeps us from receiving God’s Word.

We must also be careful not to judge others. Sometimes we are so busy watching what everyone else is doing that we ignore our own sinful nature. We are eager to point out everyone’s faults but our own. The old “Do as I say, not as I do” theme. We have no right to judge anyone, only God’s Word can do that.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Matthew 7:1 -2

If we want to be assured of a boarding pass when God’s divine transportation comes, we need to make sure we study and follow God’s WORD, for it says that those of us who do will be changed.

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. I Corinthians 15:51-52

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. I Corinthians 15:58

If we do not grow weary of doing God’s Will, we will be assured a place in paradise, as long as we remember to follow our “Basic Instructions before Leaving Earth.”

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Brendalyn Crudup Martin is an Ordained Deacon in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) and the Associate Assistant to the Rev. Felix M. Jones, Pastor of Phillips Memorial CME Church in Phoenix, AZ. She is a wife, mother and grandmother and a published writer of poetry, devotionals and personal experience articles.