If you’re part of the True Woman Movement, you are deeply committed to showing Christ to the rising generation. Part of that commitment is a heart-felt call to insure that the children in your sphere of influence come to know and treasure the Word of God.
How do we help children revere and feast on the most influential book of all time? No book has sold more copies, in more languages—ever. No book has affected the world more deeply. How can we raise Bible soaked and saturated children, teenagers, and young adults?
How to Soak the Next Generation in the Word
- Cherish your own Bible. Read it, study it, quote it, meditate on it, revere it. Do the children in your life see you reading God’s Word, praying over it, sharing it? Do they see you carrying it to church? Does your Bible have a place of honor in your home? Do children sense it is your most valuable earthly treasure?
- Share the Bible with the next generation. Every single day of that child’s life, surround him with God’s Word (Deut. 6:6–9; 2 Tim. 1:5). Read it together after dinner, put it on the walls of your home, quote it as you pray over him, listen to it in musical forms, memorize it together.
One of our greatest delights is to see our married children feeding the Word of God to our granddarlings. Our son-in-law, John Scheidt, reads a children’s Bible to their three pre-schoolers every night after dinner while they enjoy a small dessert: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Ps. 34:8).
Imagine my surprised delight during a recent visit, when John paused in the middle of a Bible story and five-year-old Lizzie carried on by memory for our listening pleasure! She has heard His Word since birth, and it is hidden deep in her young soul.
The Benefits of Soaking the Next Generation in the Word
Think of the benefits this practice may bring to the children in your life:
- You will be giving him something outside of himself to lift him from the prison of his godless culture.
- He will know where to go when he needs hope, guidance, or comfort.
- When life seems miserable, he may remember to immerse himself in the mercies of God.
- He will be able to find a promise from His Heavenly Father when everything around him collapses in chaos and confusion.
- If he remembers the Word "in the year of drought" (Jer. 17:8), his life will not be characterized by anxiety and fear.
- Most importantly, he will be able to grow more and more in love with Jesus—the Living, Eternal Word, who is the focal point and basic message of the whole Bible (Luke 24:27, 44).
- Your child will have the opportunity to draw near to God as he reads his Bible. All Scripture is "breathed out by God" (2 Tim. 3:16). Think how close you are to someone when you can feel his breath. Near . . . very near. Face to face, in a sense.
Oh, let’s become women who value and pass on God’s Word! Let’s be more concerned with the spiritual food we are feeding our children than we are even with their physical food. May we raise a generation who can say—in the midst of everything life brings them—"Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart" (Jer. 15:16).
How do you help your children learn and love God’s Word?
This article was originally published on True Woman.