NEW Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is provided by Charmer Pratt. Charmer, a longtime member of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia, has served faithfully in the welcoming ministry since 2016.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Psalm 1:1–2

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on His law day and night.”

I don’t know if there’s a term for it (I spent way too much time looking for one), but I have a bad habit of procrastinating when it comes to doing something I want to do if it’s too convenient. If a restaurant opens up near me, I’ll often put off checking it out because I think, “I can go eat there any time I want,” which has resulted in me missing out on many things I thought would be around longer than they were.

One thing that will last forever, yet I still frequently fall into the habit of “not checking out,” is God’s Word. At the time this psalm was written—and for hundreds of years both before and after—reading Scripture was not easy at all. Written copies of Scripture were scarce, and most people were illiterate. If you didn’t have Scripture memorized, you would likely have to go to a priest to hear God’s Word. Being exposed to Scripture was a special event during Biblical times.

Do you notice the error in what I just wrote? Being exposed to Scripture was a special event? Scripture is the Word of God; reading it is a special event! Today, if you can read this devotional, not only do you have access to all of God’s breathed Word, but you have it in hundreds of translations and many languages. Yet because of this convenience, it’s easy for many of us to think, “I can read the Bible any time I want,” leading us to go through stretches where we don’t read it at all.

So ask yourself this question: when was the last time you truly delighted in reading God’s Word? If you find yourself struggling to answer this question and reading Scripture more out of obligation than joy, I encourage you to take time to ask God to soften your heart today.

Prayer: Thank You, Abba, for Your wonderful Word, which I can read day and night. Please forgive me for the times I take for granted my access to You and Your Word. Soften my heart, and reignite in me the joy that causes me to delight in reading Your Word again. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Joel 1-2