Sincere Christian parents want to help their children learn to read, understand, trust, and love the Bible; However, most of us believe it is a very big and even frightening challenge. The Bible is large and complex enough to intimidate adults. How can we do this?help our children know the most important book ever written and get into the habit of enjoying it daily?
There is no simple formula for success in this area; each child is different and the Holy Ghost works in different ways and at different times with each person; However, I have experimented with grace methods that are generally effective. As a father of five and as a pastor, I will share eight of these means of grace that I have proven useful.
- Have you ever given your children their own Bible?If you don’t have a Bible.
- Invest in one and buy the best Bible possible; that your children will enjoy manipulating and watching.
- Demonstrating how special and valuable this book is.
Biblical editors produce beautiful Bibles, with quality covers and paper. You may consider a study Bible for children. The Crossway editor just published the Illuminated Bible, and as soon as my teens saw it, everyone wanted to hold it, browse it and read it.
Give your children a Bible that exalts dignity, beauty and quality, that communicates its own powerful message.
That said, the best Bibles will end up on a dusty shelf if our children don’t see us reading our own Bibles consistently, enthusiastically and happily.
When I was a kid, I could never understand why my father would get up before anyone else just to read his Bible before going to work. I also remember that I was intrigued by my sick grandmother’s habit of reading the Bible at every opportunity. Why does someone so old want to read the Bible so much?Although I did not understand this as a child, both examples have impressed me deeply, which today consciously and unconsciously affects me.
A young man I know has a hard time getting up in the morning to go to work, sometimes he repeats the alarm clock six times, we talk about it and, although he’s a worker, he’s lost sight of the reason for his work, which makes it difficult to motivate Why isn’t he big enough to make you want to get up when the alarm sounds?
If we want our children to read the Bible, we must give them a big reason: “Just read!”Why read the Bible every day?Because, with the faithful preaching of God’s Word, regular reading of the Bible is the main and usual way God speaks to us today. The scriptures are not just words of wisdom to improve our lives but words of eternal life that can make us “wise for salvation by faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15).
Once we offer why, we have to offer the how. How can they read the Bible?How much should you read each day, should you read the Old or New Testament?
We must give our children a clear and flexible plan, otherwise they will only browse the Bible and, for no purpose or progress, eventually surrender. Ideally, the plan will gradually guide you through the most important parts of the Bible, in daily and flexible readings. There are many, or you can create your own plan for your children (I pointed to a method in Exploring the Bible: a Bible Reading Plan for Kids).
Don’t think you need to have the perfect plan right now. Pray for the guidance of the Spirit and help your children experiment until they find a plan that seems to work for them.
As a child, my father tried several strategies for me to read the Bible, but the most effective was asking me questions, sometimes he asked me a simple question related to what I was reading and guaranteed that I had to read. the passage to find the answer, but he also trained me to ask questions about the Bible. This has created a habit of interacting with the scriptures, so that you would not read them passively, but actively. Questions generally focused on the content of the passage, but as they grew, the questions became meaningful and effective.
The questions I have tried to teach my children to ask themselves are: What does this passage teach us about God?About salvation?To the gospel proposal?About life in this world and in the world to come?You may have other questions. But show them to see the text (future translation).
Your children will have questions about texts they don’t understand or about the reliability of the Bible. You should have a welcome attitude when this happens. Ask them regularly if they have any questions about what they are reading. Tell them that you want them to come to you with questions about the Bible and especially how it relates to their lives.
They can ask questions I can’t answer, no problem. Tell them you will study and find the answer, or ask for the help of a pastor or a mature Christian to find the answer. When you know everything you’re asking for, be sure to take it seriously and always come back to them with an answer if you want them to keep asking.
One of the best habits we had as a family was to meet with us for 10 to 15 minutes when we arrived from church on Sunday morning to discuss the bible readings of the previous week. We checked if they had answered their questions and offered them to them. an opportunity to discuss what they had learned.
As the children grow up, we don’t do much, we used to try to talk informally about what they were reading, but simply by showing continued interest and communion with the Word of God for a few minutes, from time to time, it encourages our children to continue reading.
Like you, your children will fail. They’ll forget to read. They’ll pretend to have read it, they’ll be lethargic and lazy. They’ll find all sorts of excuses, don’t give up, thank them!
If your children are not born again, they will disappoint you several times in this area. Don’t give up, give them grace! The most legalistic among them could turn Bible reading into works of justice. Give them grace. Continue to direct them to the grace of Christ and his gospel to cover their sins and motivate their obedience.
One of the best gifts you’ll give your children is familiarity with the Bible and its message. Give them a Bible they love, set an example to follow, give them an inspiring reason, give them a clear and flexible plan, ask them questions about the Bible, give them answers to their questions about the Bible, encourage them to keep reading, and give them grace in their failures and failures.
Do authors Elyze Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson, mother and daughter, argue that many of the ways we try to make our children obedient are just an extension of the law?A set of rules incapable of changing, let alone saving, our children. Rules are not the answer. Your child needs FREE. We must tell them about the God who gives grace and spontaneously adopts the rebels and transforms them into loving children. If that is not the message you hear, if you are simply saying that you are a good child, then the gospel must transform the way your children are raised. Weak parents, Deus Forte offers a transformative perspective on fatherhood. Learn the importance of giving your child grace and help him learn about Jesus’ fascinating love and respond to sincere obedience.
David P. Murray was pastor of the Locharron Free Church of Scotland from 1995 to 2000 and later of the Stornway Free Church in Scotland from 2000 to 2007 David Murray is professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Murray writes on the blog “Head, Heart, Hand: Leadership for Servants”.