The founder of Porsche was a German born automotive engineer named Ferdinand Porsche. But did you know that he did not design the first production Porsche (the 356). That task was completed by his son Ferry Porsche 17 years after the company was founded. Ferry and his team designed that car with a clear understanding of how it was supposed to function. Ferry understood that the car’s performance depended on using the right fuel, oil, and parts, as well as following the recommended maintenance schedule to maximize its performance and longevity.
As an owner, could you ignore those recommendations? Of course. It’s your car. You could put kerosene in the tank, install incompatible parts, or skip maintenance altogether. You have the freedom to make those choices—but ownership doesn’t change how the car was designed to work. Some choices could cause immediate damage. Others might allow the car to run for a while, with problems developing over time. Either way, ignoring the manufacturer’s instructions can come at a cost. And fixing a Porsche isn’t cheap.
We are much the same. We have a Designer and like the founder of Porsche, we were designed by his Son. It’s because through God’s Son, Jesus Christ, all things were made—including us. We were created in God’s image, and he knows exactly how we were designed to function. Like any Porsche owner, we can choose to ignore our Designer’s instructions and not follow His recommendations. But that freedom does not erase the consequences of doing so. And the cost can reach far beyond replacing an expensive car part. It can affect everything, including our relationships, sense of purpose, and our spiritual destination. The “good news” is that our designer did not leave us empty handed. He gave us Scripture to guide us toward a flourishing life—to teach us how to live according to His design.
In that sense, God gave us an owner’s manual. And consider this: Jesus is also called Emmanuel (Em-manual), meaning “God with us.” How fitting is that? God not only gave us an owner’s manual through Scripture, but He also came to be with us and gave us the Holy Spirit as our personal helper. All three help us with routine maintenance and repairs when things inevitably break down. But an owner’s manual sitting unopened in the glove compartment does little good, and a mechanic you never call cannot help you. The same is true of our relationship with God. Having access to His guidance is not the same as following it. We have to open the manual, seek His help, and put His guidance into practice.
My life, my choice
Ironically, even if we follow every instruction in the Porsche owner’s manual and keep the car in perfect condition, we can still end up in the wrong place. After all, the purpose of a car is to take us somewhere, and where we end up depends on the road we choose to travel. Think about it. The original Porsche was designed to perform on paved roads, not rugged off-road terrain. No matter how well we maintain it, taking it down roads it was never designed to travel can eventually damage it. The same principle applies to our lives. God designed us to live according to His purpose, and the paths we choose can either move us toward that purpose or lead us away from it.
Look at the image above. Both roads lead somewhere, but the destinations look very different. One leads toward sunshine, beauty, and prosperity, while the other leads toward darkness, decay, and destruction. The same principle applies to our lives. We all want to reach a good destination. We want lives filled with purpose, peace, joy, and fulfillment. But wanting those things and choosing the path that leads to them are two very different things.
Here’s what makes the image interesting. At first glance, the road leading toward sunshine and prosperity looks like the easier path. The roads are smooth, the buildings are beautiful, and everything appears well maintained. But think about what it takes to keep things that way. Someone has to repair the roads, maintain the buildings, upkeep the landscape, and clean up the trash. None of that happens on its own. It requires constant attention, discipline, and effort. Now consider the other road. The buildings are deteriorating, the roads are falling apart, and everything looks neglected. How much effort does it take for things to end up that way? Very little. Stop maintaining something long enough, and deterioration will eventually follow.
Something similar happens in our own lives. Following God’s design requires intentional effort. We have to open Scripture (Joshua 1:8), seek His guidance (Proverbs 3:5–6), resist temptation (James 4:7), and put His teachings into practice (James 1:22), even when doing so is inconvenient or goes against what we want. Neglect, on the other hand, requires almost nothing. We can simply stop reading Scripture, stop praying, and gradually allow other things to guide our decisions.
This helps us understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 7:13–14 when He spoke about two paths: one wide and easy that leads to destruction, and another narrow and difficult that leads to life. The narrow path is not necessarily the easiest road to travel, but it leads to the destination for which we were designed.
And that brings us back to the Porsche. Knowing what the owner’s manual says is not enough. We have to follow its instructions. God has given us Scripture to guide our lives, but we still have to choose to follow Him. When we do, we can trust that we’re headed in the right direction, even when the road gets difficult because He is our destination. After all, God hasn’t just given us an owner’s manual. He’s also given us a mechanic to help us along the way and a map to guide us toward the destination He intended for us.
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