WORTH THE EFFORT?

I once decided to read all 38 of Shakespeare’s plays in one year. To my surprise, completing them felt far more like entertainment than work. I expected to learn about Shakespeare’s world and the people who inhabited it, but I found that Shakespeare mainly taught me about my world.
I went through exactly the same thing when I read through the Old Testament. Why does it spend so much time on temples, priests and rules about sacrifices that no longer exist? How can we make sense of the Old testament, and what difference does it make to our lives today?
As I looked past some of these questions, I came to feel a need to read because of what it was teaching me about my world. Eventually I found myself wanting to read those 39 books. They were satisfying a hunger in me that nothing else had.

The Old Testament does have lots of specific and confusing details and stories. But, even without being able to understand all of it, reading it helped me think about what it means to really live with God.

The rewards offered do not come easily. Reading the Old Testament sometimes takes hard work and effort; but we keep going because the rewards will come.

To pray about . . .

Thank You God for all of the Bible. I can learn so much about You from every page. Please help me to take time each day to read my Bible. Please give me understanding for what I read so that I might get to know You better.

THE BIBLE GIVES US A PICTURE OF
WHO WE REALLY ARE

YouTh Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries