One of the reasons I struggled so much spiritually when I was young is because I had so many questions and didn't know where to find answers. I remember when I was 17 I felt myself drifting away from God, and I frantically went to a Christian book store and searched the aisles for a miraculous book which would give me all the answers to my questions.
If I knew then what I do now, I would have realized that the answers I sought were in the Bible. However, the real thing which I lacked was knowledge of the Bible. Sure I grew up attending a Bible-preaching church, but I only knew snippets of sit: a key verse here, a passage there. I had questions and had no idea where to even begin with the Bible.
I truly believe this is one of the biggest issues facing young people today. There is a complete ignorance of the Bible, even amongst Christians. I have friends who were raised in good Christian homes with Sundays at a good Bible-teaching church, but they still struggle with their faith and how to approach issues like homosexuality, pre-marital sex, modesty, etc. They have bought into modern society and their foundation in the Bible is so lacking that they don't know how to combat the humanist messages society pounds on them every day.
So if you happen to read this, and you have children, I ask that you please spend time talking with them about their Bibles and reading it cover to cover with them. Having working knowledge of how the Bible was compiled is very important for all Christians. So do some research, figure out how to teach yours kids not only what is inside their Bibles from front to back, but how it came to be there, what it means, and how it should be used.
If you haven't yet read your Bible all the way through, don't let another day pass without getting started. I read 2 chapters every morning. It took a while to get used to this routine, but now it is a part of my normal day. Sometimes I read more, but just reading 2 chapters allows me to really focus and read slowly. My husband reads an entire Bible book at a time, and alternates it with other reading material. There isn't a right or wrong way to go about it, except NOT to do it!
It can be overwhelming to begin reading with your children when you realise how deficient your own knowledge is.
ReplyDeleteFor me it was really good to start out with a strong Kid's story Bible (the one by Catherine Vos is brilliant) that ties it all together for you.
Then we just started reading through Luke, followed by Acts. A 4 year old's questions lead you to other parts of the Bible and that's it, we're away!
A chapter in Voddie Baucham's book 'Family Driven Faith' has a lot of great help for parents in this situation too.