I hope the following lesson can be of use to youth ministries, family devotionals, and family home evenings.

Today, I bought a new phone system, and have been trying to set it up voicemail without looking at the manual. I think that is very manly of me. And of course now I’m encountering a problem. I realize I need to look at… the manual.

How many of us are trying to do things the easy way? We think, I can do it by myself or I don’t need any help. A while ago, I remember hearing a news broadcast where the makers of TV dinners were frustrated because their customers will pop the dinner into the microwave without reading the directions. Then the customers complain about their meal being either overcooked undercooked.

Today’s lesson is on the usefulness of taking advantage of our resources. That means reading the manual or seeking the advice of someone experienced in the field that I need to know more about. There are advantages to learning new things every day so that you always gain new insights. You gain a wealth of knowledge just for the sake of knowing information. It can be amazing how it might be useful in some unpredicted circumstance.

At work, we have a health program that gives us varies assignments to get points. One of the goals is to read an hour a day. Thanks to this program, within the last couple of months I read seven books. I have been able to put that down as an accomplishment. Having programs such as this can give us an opportunity to give an accounting for the activities we participate in. Giving an accounting to somebody, can be a useful way to achieve personal goals.

My invitation is for each of us to find our best working conditions. I jokingly tell people that I can be bought. I’m willing to do quite a lot for certain rewards. One example, is that sometimes I might be willing to do various undesirable activities during the week with the anticipation that I can enjoy the weekend preforming personal tasks and not feel guilty.

So seek out area you want to improve on. And maybe reward yourself in a positive way, when you’ve achieved your goals. As a personal reward I may not want to use food for I use that too much already. I might be willing to reward myself with an extra hour of pleasurable reading as a reward.

Determine your goals and documented successes. For it is a good way to show progress.