Examples To Follow

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
-Romans 15:4 (King James Version)

I've drawn the conclusion, from what I've read and listened to online and through discussions with others, that many people consider the Old Testament as having nothing to do with us today. Those I've talked with feel it has no spiritual value to us, and many don't preach from it any longer. I admit, I don't write, preach or teach much from the Old Testament, but that doesn't mean I don't treasure the words found therein.

Paul, in writing to the church at Rome, taught the value of the Old Testament. "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." By reading the stories of great men and women of the Old Testament, we can learn so much about God and about faith. I think the writer of Hebrews 11 thought about how the true life examples of faith from the Old Testament can help us learn how to build up our own faith in God. 

Paul says that those things written in times past were written for our learning. We can learn about God. We can learn about the ways He worked in, and through, others. We can learn how people like Elijah, David and Moses demonstrated their faith in God, how they struggled to live for Him. We, too, encounter the same struggles that others have had. And we can learn from them, and apply the things they learned to our lives.

Friends, don't ignore the real life examples of faith and endurance that's found in the pages of the Old Testament. Use those examples to build up and grow your faith in God. Think About It.