It’s a hold up!!! Or should I say…”Hold up a minute”, teaching our kids the foundations of faith is more important than you think. I was recently reading a survey by Barna Group, that says church attendance and a love for the inspired and true Word of God has declined.
Meaning family times around the Bible are lessening. Fewer homes are teaching the stories of their faith, like David and Goliath, Moses crossing the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ burial and resurrection, the Great Commission, and Christ coming again.
The number one reason for decline in Bible reading is lack of time. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, so here are some ways to incorporate the Bible into your typical week and strengthen your kids’ faith.
- Prayer: Your kids’ will learn how to pray from you. Try praying parts of the Bible, such as Psalm 51, which talks about God’s compassion. Depending on their age, you can give them a small encouraging word to sleep on.
- Try a night a week for family devotions…Here’s a cool one we used for our boys while they were in elementary school, we really liked it. We give this one the thumbs up ….. Family Night Tool Chest Heritage Builders.
- Find a good church home. A good Bible based church, most have a list of what they believe either on their website or you can ask the pastor. Not only can you get a steady dose of the word but it also gives you the opportunity to share faith building ideas with other parents. Keeping in touch with other Christians will help keep you and your family on track and will encourage relationships.
- Since faith comes by hearing the Word of God, talk about it in the truck on the way to check cattle or to the grocery store, whatever errand you may have. Here’s a neat dinner devotion that I found recently! Family Dinner Box of Questions, and Dinner Table Devotions, both found on Focus on the Family website. Keep a Bible nearby for quick references, one with a good concordance can be pretty handy.
- Show them your faith. When your family has a major decision to make, pray together as a family. When a guy you know just got thrown in the air by a bull and is in the hospital, pray together for him. When mom gets baptized in the horse trough, teach about baptism. Romans 6. Your faith and growth in the Bible will encourage their growth.
- Teach them the steadiness of God. Life is unsteady and sometimes we are pretty disappointed with unanswered prayer, loss of a loved one, the job that fell through. Teach them that the one they have faith in, is steady; even when we don’t understand or get what we thought we should.
- And finally, be ready to learn along with them if you are unsure of some things in the Bible. You are never too old, too educated, uneducated, rich, poor, cowboy or not to learn new things about your faith. Your faith will continue to grow as long as your alive and willing to learn.
It never fails, whenever I think I’m to busy to get into the Word and grow my faith……it seems I get less accomplish, become more frustrated, and feel less fulfilled. I really believe God blesses our families when we commit to Him and ask Him to show us how to learn more about Him.
How do you incorporate the Bible into your kid’s daily life? Would love to hear from you.
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