At this time of year you will have been given presents. No doubt when you received your presents you will have used them and want to use them, but I once read of a man who was given a present, but who didn't use it at all and so, it was no good to him.
This man was walking along the street one day when the rain began to fall very heavily. A butcher, who was standing in the doorway of his shop, saw this man begin to run along the street to escape the rain and so, he called him to come into his shop and he would give him something to help to keep him dry. The man went into the shop and the butcher presented him with a great big black umbrella – (perhaps, your father has one just like it). The man was very thankful for the present and he thanked the butcher for being so kind to him. When the man got outside into the rain again, however, what do you think the man did? Well, he took the umbrella, but instead of opening it out and putting it over his head, he kept it closed and he put it under his coat and began to walk along in the rain once more.
As he was walking along in the rain, he met another man. "Why don't you put your umbrella up?" asked the man, who saw the handle of it sticking out of the man's coat. "Oh," said the man, "that butcher along there was so good and so kind to give me a present of this nice umbrella that I don't want to get it wet and so, I've put it under my coat."
What a silly man, you might think; and, of course, he was silly because the butcher had given him that umbrella to keep him dry and umbrellas are meant to get wet anyway. But, you know, boys and girls, sometimes people are like that when it comes to the Bible. God has given us the present of His Word – the Bible – so that we might read it and learn about Him. But some people never open the Bible and only use it to carry it to church and home again. I hope that you will "Read your Bible, and pray every day."
