Don't just read but know your Bible.

Jewish kids begin to learn the Torah in the first or second grade by chanting aloud with their teacher and by the time they are in fourth or fifth grade they complete the first five books of the Hebrew Bible which we Christians call the Old Testament. I don't know if anyone of them is able to successfully memorize the entire Torah but ALL of them become very proficient in knowing much of the Torah by heart.

So Jewish people are well educated in their Scriptures, they know the Torah, the Prophets and the Psalms which is the entire Old Testament. And not just the knowledge aspect but their entire life revolves around the Scriptures. As the adherents of the Mosaic Law they live a very disciplined life. No work on Sabbath, they follow a strict dietary law which is called Kosher.

But despite knowing all of this why don't they believe in JESUS. JESUS was initially sent for the Jewish people and because they rejected HIM this grace was extended to us gentiles. All of the Old Testament foretells the coming of the Messiah "The Anointed One" but they still don't accept JESUS as their Messiah. These Jewish people are so busy observing the Law that they missed to see the one who is prophesied in the Law. 

Today we Christians also have become like these Jews, we go to Church on Sundays, we give our offerings and tithes, we go to revival crusades and listen to preachings and songs all day long but we miss the most important thing. Just like those Jews who missed the Messiah by not carefully studying the scripture. We too are just chanting along with the crowd without actually knowing why we believe what we believe. Just like those Jews who believe the Bible but doesn't believe in HIM whom the entire Bible points to.

R.C Sproul once said in one of his book that Baptism is like the sign post we see on the road side it points us to a destination beyond itself, Baptism itself is not the destination but it points us toward our destination. Similarly Scriptures points us to the Messiah and these Jews think that sign post (observing the Law) itself is the destination. 

Today we Christians also think that living a "so called Christian" life is the destination, NO IT'S NOT.

Just because of the lack of proper understanding of the prophecies in the Scripture millions of Jews today are in the darkness, they don't know the LIGHT yet.

We all have friends some are just acquaintances, some we think we know them well, and some we know pretty closely.

But if we were to get married to a person would it be OK if we just knew them as someone else's friend or relative. 

No, we would definitely want to know them personally and we would not stop at that we would want to know all that we can before we go ahead with the proposal.

Bible says we are the Bride of CHRIST and Heaven is preparing a Grand Marriage Banquet. But today most of us Christians are satisfied to know Christ through some one else's experience of HIM, someone else's knowledge of HIM. Only a handful are really interested in knowing HIM personally and intimately. 

Hosea 4:6 says "My people are destroyed because of the lack of knowledge".

There were many Jews to whom Paul preached but only some of them accepted the Gospel and those were the ones who personally studied and verified the scriptures to check whether Paul was speaking the truth or not. (Acts 17:11).

Don't just read, but know your Bible.

G-D Bless.