Bringing More of God's Word into Our Homes

                                   

       

This week I would like to share about an essential I feel we must not ignore in our Christian homes.This essential is a steady intake of the Word of God.  Because I homeschool my children, I am with them all day and have the privilege of taking them before the throne of grace and into God's Word multiple times a day.  My desire is that our home be a discipleship center where we are living and breathing a genuine walk with Christ all throughout the day and night.  

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Through the years I have felt like the Lord has been showing me that even our academics can often be taught from the context of Biblical truth.  As I have prayed about various homeschool curriculum decisions, I have sensed that the Lord has been asking me to bring more and more of His Word into the flow of our day and educational experience.  

  We never want our children to come to see the Bible as just a quaint, antiquarian book of stories.  No, we want them to know it is God's very words to them-their guidebook for life.  It is the eternal, inspired, infallible Word of God.  

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.  More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned in keeping them there is great reward" (Psalm 19:7-11).

From Genesis to Revelation the gospel story of God's love and redemption runs through every chapter.  A Bible story should not primarily be about Moses, Noah, or David.  It should be about the mighty God who did great things in and through the lives of such men.  This sovereign God is in control of all history from beginning to end.  He is working His eternal plan from the fall in the garden to the glorious redemption we eagerly await.  The Bible is a narrative that tells us the gospel story of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.  This is the most beautiful thing of all for us to teach our children.  The prince of preacher, Charles Spurgeon, put it like this:

"This great book, the Bible, this most precious volume is the heart of God made legible; it is the gold of God's love, beaten out into gold leaf, so that therewith our thoughts might be plated, and we also might have golden, good and holy thoughts concerning Him."  - Charles Spurgeon

  

 As Christian families I believe that God's Word should be elevated to a place of prominence in our homes.  Whenever there is question as to a decision to be made or as to what is right or wrong, the Bible should be our guide.  We would do well to not just tell our children what to do but to take them straight to the source of all truth.  I do not want my children to derive their code of ethics based on what Mama believes.  That may work when they are young, but the day will come when they will become more independent thinkers.  If I have taught them from the onset what the Bible says rather than what Mama thinks, then they will have a foundation that is built upon the authoritative Word of God rather than their mama's ideas.  

  Whenever there is a question as to a decision to be made or as to what is right or wrong, the Bible should be our guide.  We would do well to not just tell our children what to do but to take them straight to the source of all truth.  The bible is the best plumb line and the best true north.  It is a light for our path.  

  Now to be practical, here are some specific ways we are trying to incorporate more of God's Word into our daily lives:

*Talking about the Word in everyday conversations

*Helping our children memorize the Word

*Scripture songs put to music

*Listening to the Word on a Bible App (This one is for me so that I am intaking more of the Word, but sometimes my children come into the room and also here bits of it.)

*Family Bible Time

*Circle Time (This is when I gather the children in the family room, in the mornings, and share God's Word with them.)

*Using Biblically based homeschool curriculum

*Taking Them to Church to hear the Word of God preached

*Choosing excellent reading materials for our family library that tell stories of virtue and truth and refer to God's Word and His ways.  

  These are just some of the ways that we are trying to be intentional about keeping God's Word front and center in the atmosphere of our home.  What are some ways you are finding to be effective in bringing the Word of God before your children?  I would love to hear your ideas!