In England, Alan Johnson, the Education Secretary stated families spend four hours a day watching TV. “If they read to their children for a tenth of that time, we could practically eliminate illiteracy,” he said.
Twenty four minutes -it’s not a lot of time over the course of a day.
Let’s go one step further. Imagine the results if you read to your children from the bible for that time or even half of it. What impact would it have not only on their lives but on your own?
For years our family had a time of bible reading just after dinner, while we were still at the table. But later I found a quiet time of reading the bible and discussing God’s Word with my daughter in the morning, worked better for both of us. So be adaptable.
Our daughter committed her life to Christ during one of these morning sessions. As we were reading through John’s gospel my daughter said ‘I want to become a follower of Jesus. Can I do it now?’
Similarly, our son had previosuly committed his life to Christ as a young child during a devotional time. Both of them have never deviated from that commitment. The only difference is they have matured in their faith. I believe that solid grounding in God’s Word when they were young has helped them stay on track in their Christian life. God’s Word urges us to,
‘Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it,’ Proverbs 22:6
Teaching our children about God by reading and talking about His Word, by prayer and by example, are all part of the special privilege we have as Christians and parents. And if you miss a day of reading God’s Word, don’t beat yourself up over it. But do try to get into and maintain a habit of bible reading with your children.
There are many devotional books on the market which you can use with your children. Often they want to pluck out a bible verse or two and then tell a story or homily. In many ways, I believe we are better to read a passage straight from the bible and then talk about it with our children. Often they have surprising insights and if you can get them into the habit of looking at a passage and then asking a couple of questions that will focus them on the main points, you will be giving them a tool they can use throughout life.
Some key questions to ask could include:
Who is the main character in this story?
What is happening in this passage?
What do I learn about God from this?
What does God want to teach me from it?
What changes should I make in my life after reading this?
Bible verses from The New American Standard Version
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