We’ve been exploring spiritual disciplines. In February and April, we looked at how to incorporate discipleship into your daily rhythms and overcome obstacles. This month, we’ll focus on the discipline of reading the Bible. Knowing that Bible study is essential to your child’s spiritual growth and to learning more about God should be the impetus to get started.
Model Bible study. If reading the Bible is important to you, it will be to your kids. Your child needs to see you reading the Scriptures, discussing them, grappling with them, and applying them. Share what you’re learning or struggling with at dinner. Talk about the changes you’re making because of what you read. Share a new name you learned for the Holy Spirit. These small lessons reap big rewards.
Furnish the right tools. Your kids need a Bible written with them in mind. In 2024, Tyndale released the Go Bible in the New Living Translation. It’s for kids ages 8-12 and offers all kinds of help alongside the biblical text. For younger kids, read Bible storybooks or devotions. A teenager can graduate to a study Bible.
Engage with the text. If your family already reads Scripture together, ask questions. Doing so will give you a better sense of your child’s understanding. You are training them to ask who, what, where, when, why, and how of the text. Encourage them to write in their Bible, circle key words, and highlight verses to memorize. These are valuable lessons for now, and as your kids age and become independent readers.
Pray. We often pray after reading the Bible, but what if we prayed before reading? Ask God to open hearts and minds to understand the scriptures before you read. By doing this, you’re inviting the Holy Spirit to work in your children’s hearts and minds. Your kids will be more alert to what God might reveal to them through the Word. Again, you’re modeling the discipline of asking God to help your family grow in wisdom and understanding and of developing lifelong habits.
Provide prompts. Let’s face it. Starting new habits is hard. But prompts like an alarm clock get us out of bed in the morning. Setting out nice clothes the night before reminds us about tomorrow’s picture day. What prompt could you use for reading the Bible? Would setting a Bible on the kitchen table the evening before remind you to read the next morning? Maybe something like a watering can (you’re watering the seeds sown)? You know what works best for your family.
I’d love to hear how your family fits daily Bible reading into your routines. If you’ve tried it, let me know how it went by contacting me at my website
www.sallycressman.com.
—Sally Cressman is the author of The Dance of Easter.
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