Bible reading.
As believers we know we must do it. The Holy Spirit draws us to it. Our Lord emphatically states:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Matthew 4:4
So, we turn to His word, and we know we must include our children, but many are unsure of where to begin, or how often to read and so on. We wonder if we need to follow a script, a program, a specific curriculum or what. We feel inadequate and ill-equipped and so it becomes easy to shy away from one of our most precious responsibilities as parents.
And these words which I command you today
shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way,
when you lie down, and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand,
and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house
and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
I want to encourage you today, that you may know God will give you what you need to do what He’s asked you to do. Programs, youth groups, Sunday school classes, and curriculum options may (or may not) have their places in our homeschools, but there is nothing that is able to surpass the Word of God. Stand on that truth.
For the word of God is living and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
And . . .
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
God has a plan and a purpose through His mighty Word. So, gather your children around the table or sprawl out together on the floor and dig in! Be consistent in reading the Bible together at the same time everyday, just a few minutes each time. Create the habit. Mornings right after breakfast time is our favorite time for family Bible reading. We’ve also done bedtime reading before our family’s evening prayers. Consider the season of life you’re in, the ages of your children and go for it! Just do it again each day.
What should you read? Pick a passage of familiar Scripture and go from there. You can begin with well-known Psalms, or start with Genesis and the dawn of Creation, or begin with Jesus’s life in one of the Gospels. Simply read a few verses each time and continue to create the habit. Don’t worry about not knowing all the answers your children may ask–you are learning together. Lately, we’ve been reading from Exodus about the events of the first Passover, and the Red Sea crossing.
Read from a regular Bible rather than a children’s storybook. What translation your family uses is up to you (my family primarily uses the New King James version). The point is that children’s ears need to be trained and accustomed to hearing the Word of God, unchanged, not watered down, and not sugar-coated. Don’t worry about them not understanding everything. Answer your children’s questions according to your knowledge and what you don’t know, tell them that you’re not sure and that you’ll seek God’s Word for clarity and get back to them next time. (I do this all the time! God is faithful to hear and to answer.)
My hope is that you never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit to work within the hearts of your children, just as He does your own. Don’t worry too much about trying to make it fun or entertaining. That doesn’t mean you can’t have fun, but remember the focus is to draw your children’s hearts to faith in Christ through the Word of God. Children (and parents) need the consistency of hearing God’s word.
So then faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17
How do you incorporate Bible reading in your homeschool? What passages of Scripture are you reading lately?
