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As I keep my eyes, my rapt attention, on Christ, my thoughts, words, and actions should change. I show love toward other believers and point unbelievers to our great God.
For a mama, this means I teach my child the Bible and the Good News contained within. What a weighty calling, yet, I can rest in the fact that God is all-powerful to save. He can use even my biggest failures for His glory, using them to draw my son to Him.
Even though God is sovereign, He still calls me to obedience. He calls me to share the Good News with my son, even in the seemingly mundane moments of the day.
Practically, how do I teach my child the Bible?
My son and I have been working on memorizing the Children’s Catechism (here is what we use). We love singing Bible songs, particularly songs that are Bible verses set to music.
Both of these are memory tools, ways to help your children soak up the Word of God. Memory work is a perfect way to start teaching your children the Bible because they will have the truths of the Scriptures wherever they go.
Crystal Brothers from Serving Joyfully just released a book that helps moms from any background or any level of Bible knowledge help their children grow a love for God’s word. It is a great resource for any Christian mama who wants to teach their child the Bible, even if your children are young!
Planting Seeds: How to Cultivate a Love of Scripture in Your Child’s Heart encouraged me and reminded me of the reasons why I am obedient to teach my son (who is only 2) the Scripture.
Crystal says:
“We don’t teach our children scripture so we can check off a box on our to-do list. We teach them scripture because we believe there is power in God’s word.”
In the same way that I am looking to God for everything, not only should I be modeling that for my son, I need to be teaching it! When he is disobedient, when he is sad or scared, when he experiences joys, I can point him to the Bible.
Why Even Study the Bible?
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
Crystal includes a long list of verses and real-life examples of applicable situations. In addition, the Bible is the primary means through which we know God. I talk more about developing a time of personal worship in this previous post. God’s word should be viewed as essential, as our daily bread. Don’t neglect this time.
You Must Know It to Teach It
This was one of my favorite sections of Planting Seeds. Crystal says,
“If we are to immerse our children in a home full of God’s word, we must also be immersed in God’s word.”
Not only does she do a great job of encouraging moms to study the Bible for themselves, she includes practical tips for moms to know how to study, what to study, and how to memorize the word for themselves! A natural extension of this is how to make scripture a constant part of your day. Filling your home with verses and singing Bible verse songs are a beautiful way to show your children how much you value these precious words.
How Do I Start Teaching My Child the Bible?
You may already have a private Bible study practice, but are stuck with knowing how to teach your children. Planting Seeds includes sample lists of what to memorize and suggestions for reading the Bible with your children. Crystal then gives both general memorization tips and several game ideas! She says,
“Younger bodies often need to be engaged for young minds to remember things.”
Memorizing the word of God can be fun and exciting for your children, and Planting Seeds provides wonderful resources to help you keep it from becoming a chore.
Be sure to check out Planting Seeds today! Click here for more details!
What Do You Think?
How do you teach your children the Bible? How do you teach young children the Bible? What are your favorite Bible memorization tips?
Crystal’s book sounds wonderful! My kids seem to remember better when we have audio playing (Adventures in Odyssey or Christian music) even while playing or cleaning. Thanks so much for sharing today over at Kelly’s for #BVN!
This sounds like a great book! I love teaching my kids the Word of God, and it is so true that if we don’t know it, we can’t teach it! This sounds like a great resource for helping us instill a love for the Word in our children! Thanks for linking with #BVN!