The Littlest Bible Student

You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6:7

Isn’t it amazing how young children love to have the same stories read to them over and over again? I remember being very young and listening to The Cat in the Hat on my little Fisher Price tape player. I listened to it so much that I memorized the words, and I remember it being the first book I was able to read all by my self. My son Jacob is the same way. When he was two, he would have me read the same book to him every day before his nap and before bedtime; Giraffes Can’t Dance. If I happened to skip a line or miss a word, he was very quick to correct me.

Around the same time, my husband and I decided that we wanted to make sure and read the Bible to Jacob every day. We started doing this at night, and we read The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories. At first, we were simply going through a new story each night. The stories are very short, and they are written for very small children. Again, Jacob would really want us to read the same story over and over again. My husband, on the other hand, really wanted to make sure that we read through all the stories. We felt good about reading the Bible daily, but Jacob didn’t seem to be retaining much.

Then, one day I had an idea; one that should have come to me much sooner. You see, when teaching 5th grade math, I was always nagging the parents to make sure they studied the multiplication table with their 5th graders on a regular basis so that they would remember their facts. I told my husband that day, instead of reading Jacob a new story each night, we should spend a whole week on one story. He was skeptical at first thinking we would never be able to finish all the stories. But, we gave it a try.

Within a few nights, we both knew we had found a great way to study the Bible with Jacob. Because we read the same story each night, we were able to ask Jacob questions and talk with him about what we were reading. And, Jacob was very proud that he was able to remember the people and things that were going on in the story! That was about 9 months ago, and we are almost finished with The Beginner’s Bible. In addition to reading the story as a family at Jacob’s bedtime, Jacob and I also read it before he takes a nap each day. That means we are reading the same Bible story 14 times a week! Another thing Ryan started doing was reading the story and pausing so that Jacob could finish the sentence. It is amazing how a little boy can wiggle around so much during the story, but still knows exactly what’s being said! We now start a new story every Sunday, and on Saturday we have what we call Silly Saturday. On Saturday evenings, Ryan will read the story, but he will insert wrong words or names to see if Jacob has been listening. Jacob thinks this is SO funny! Most of the time, he is able to supply the correct word and we have lots of laughs.

Through all of this, I have learned that it is never too early to start regular, meaningful Bible study with your child. I will always cherish these times as a family!

I would love to hear how you study God's Word with your family. Have a blessed day!

Promise

....for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. I Timothy 4:8

Godliness - Reverencing God, and his character and laws; obedient to the commands of God from love for, and reverence of, His character; conformed to God's law; devout; righteous; as, a godly life.

The Bible, in numerous passages, talks about the godly and encourages us to be godly. Personally, I have understood the reason why I should strive to live a godly life - it is my response to the grace offered to me by Him through faith in his son Jesus so that I could one day live with him in Heaven. And, I fully understand that what I do will not earn me a ticket to Heaven, while on the other hand, faith that produces no fruit is a dead faith (James 2:26).

But today, after reading the verse quoted above, I noticed something new. It's the phrase, "promise for the present life." I have often only thought about the "promise for the life to come." Heaven. But we have promise for NOW. Today.

So, how does trying to live a godly life hold promise for me today? How does it contrast to the alternative.....an ungodly life? Being a Christian does not exempt me from life's hardships; sickness, death, heartache, poverty, etc. These things are experienced by all, Christian or not. But, I have noticed without a shadow of doubt the blessings that come when I try to pattern my life after Him. When I love and submit to my husband in a godly way, we fight less and work together SO much better. When I forgive someone a wrong, God takes away the burden of holding a grudge and He forgives me. When I choose not to engage in the "night life" that is so popular among people my age (okay, who am I kidding, I am quickly getting older than that!), I can avoid some of the consequences that come from those activities; addictions, sexual sin......the list goes on. When I choose to serve instead of be served, I get to witness how the love of Jesus changes people's lives for the better. When I spend my time with other Christians worshiping or working, I am encouraged to keep on running because I am not alone. What an awesome God we serve who blesses us in this life AND the one to come!

In what ways have you been blessed here in THIS LIFE by trying to do it His way? I would love to hear how that promise reaches you personally. So, please share!