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Bob Reccord started out in business, pastored in three states, and was president of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board for nine years. He has written eight books, hosted a national radio show, and, since 2006, has spoken to more than 160,000 men. Bob and his wife, Cheryl, now lead Total Life Impact, a speaking, seminar, and coaching ministry. Bob loves hunting, fishing, and scuba diving, and has paraglided off the Swiss Alps.

"While waiting to get my car serviced, I picked up an automotive magazine and came across a question-and-answer column asking, "What's the most unread book in America?"

Their answer: the car owner's manual. This manual is written to ensure that the vehicle operates at maximum effectiveness and avoids major breakdowns. But few people seem to have read their car owner's manual—until. That is, until their vehicle isn't running smoothly or has experienced a major breakdown.

We're a lot like that with God's Owner's Manual. He's written it out of his deep and abiding love for us to ensure that we operate our lives at maximum effectiveness, and he provides us with a written preventive maintenance plan to avoid major breakdowns. But as humans we have a sinful nature at the very center of our being. We're determined to live life our way rather than God's way—according to the Owner's Manual. Like car owners, we often wait too late to know what we need to know.

Adapted from Beneath the Surface (B&H Publishing, 2002) by permission.

Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Thank you, Lord, for revealing yourself and your will so completely. Please whet my appetite for your Word.

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