Helping Your Kids Love The Bible

“You need to just sit down and do it” 
was my friend’s response when I complained to him about reading the Bible. I was 16 years old and a new Christian. I had tried reading my Bible many times, but I never enjoyed it. So, I complained to my friend and his advice was to suck it up, sit down, and read. And if I’m being honest, that response didn’t help me at all! Now, I would be the last person to deny that simply sitting down and reading the Bible can be powerful and transformative, but for 16-year-old me there was no joy in it for me. The Bible seemed unapproachable and cold; it felt like it required years of experience or a college degree to even open those pages, things I didn’t have, and neither do your kids. 
Perhaps you’ve been blessed with naturally curious and book-happy kids who love to read the stories and ideas that the Bible contains, if so, praise the Lord! 
But, if you’re like a lot of parents, your kids may find reading the Bible difficult, whether they’re just old enough to read the Bible on their own, or they’re starting to think about college. They might know the truth of God’s word and they might have cried out to Jesus as their savior, but they lack the motivation to sit down and approach the Word joyfully. How can you inspire the next generation to want to read the Bible? How can you help your kids love the Bible? 

You can help them love the Bible by modeling it for them.

Your Children Mature by Modeling
As a young boy, I found myself  (and I often still do) modeling those I looked up to. It’s part of a child’s journey to observe other people and imitate them in how they behave. You may have experienced this when your kids start saying phrases the way you do or mimicking your daily routines. 
I remember as a child really loving and respecting the pastor of our church...who was bald. So, one time, when it was time to get a haircut, I asked my dad, “Can I be bald like pastor C.J.?” My dad, thinking it was a great idea, happily obliged. He was probably just thinking that it was funny, but I took it so seriously. That next Sunday, I went right up to my pastor and he said “Now that is my kind of haircut!”
Why do I remember that silly story from my childhood? Because modeling is how young people learn to behave. I wanted to model my pastor because I looked up to him, and hearing his affirmation made my heart soar! I was the happiest I’d ever been to know that I looked like Pastor C.J.
By mimicking the behavior, actions, and words of those around them, your kids learn how to live. That’s how kids mature. There are no original human behaviors, each one of us is made up of behaviors we have observed and decided to imitate. Yes, each one of us is uniquely created in God’s image, I don’t deny that. But, your kids won’t come up with novel behaviors, they will either copy behaviors or synthesize them from many different models. Kids mature by modeling.
Paul said in Ephesians 5:1 (ESV), “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Paul understood that children grow into mature adults by imitating their parents. Using that analogy, he urged the Ephesians to act like children of God, looking to their primary model: God, their Father. They were to imitate Him and mature in the faith. Paul also told the Corinthians, “For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me” (1 Cor. 4:15-16).
Kids mature by modeling, but so do adults…remember that, I’ll come back to it.

Parents Need to Model Maturity
If your kids need mature people to model, it is first and foremost your duty to be that for them. As Christians, we recognize that the most important relationship in any child’s life is with their parents. Between their 1st and 18th birthdays, you will spend more time with your kids than anyone else, even their closest friends. Even if they’re at school most days, you are still the first person they'll look to when learning how to think and behave. As parents, you are their primary model. So, as much as you can, model maturity well. 

Do you love the Bible? 
Do you enjoy reading the life-giving words of your God and Savior? 
Do you love to go deep into the Word, studying it, and understanding its eternal truths? 

If you can sincerely answer yes to these questions, show it to your kids! Make your love of God’s word a normal part of your daily life and speech, so that it may be modeled. Seek to have the attitude of Deuteronomy 6:7, where Moses says to the people of Israel, “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children 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.” Express how wonderful God’s word is at the kitchen counter during breakfast, at the dinner table, or getting ready for bed. Speak regularly about deep truths of the word, connections between passages you’ve learned, and even questions you have. Model a love for the Bible in your normal daily life and speech.
This is a practice I have seen done so well by my father-in-law, Eric. Even though his youngest is now 26, married, and living in a different city (thanks for letting her stay, Eric), every time we are in Columbia, he can’t help but speak about a passage he’s been reading or something from God’s word he’s been trying to understand. He sings theologically rich hymns while doing something so ordinary as washing the dishes. He asks his daughters to help him think about a sermon he’s writing. He shares something he’s read in a book as normal conversation. I can hear his amazed, almost speechless voice saying with a huge grin, “Wow, isn’t that just amazing that God would love us like that? I can’t even get my mind around how amazing that is!” Eric models maturity, and his family (now including myself) has benefited greatly from it, as all three of his daughters are faithfully serving the Lord with joyful hearts. 
Is this a guarantee that if you do this your children will become Christians and love God’s Word? No. There is no catch-all, 100% guaranteed technique to raising Christian kids. You cannot force a child to love Jesus or his Word. But you can help them by modeling a love for the Bible and giving them as many reasons as possible to love the Bible. If you never talk about the Bible, or if you act cold towards things of the faith and the truth of the Word, what motivation will your kids have to even start reading the Bible? Modeling a passionate love for God and his word may not change your kids, but it will keep you from hindering them.

Maybe You Need a Model
Ultimately what I hope you get from this article is that for you to best help your kids love the Bible, you have to love it for yourself first. But maybe you’re reading this and thinking, “I wish I could model this for my kids, but I don’t enjoy reading the Bible!” If you struggle to love the Bible, the best way to grow is to find someone who truly loves the Bible and read it with them. Kids aren't the only ones who need mature models, you do too!
One of the biggest influences on my love for God’s word has been listening to a professor named Jim Hamilton. You see, it’s not necessarily that what he says is super interesting or exciting, but it's how he says it. If you ever get the opportunity to watch and listen to Dr. Hamilton speak about the Bible, what you’ll be struck by is the massive grin that comes across his face and the passion he has even about the “boring parts”. You can tell just by looking at him, he loves this. Watching and listening to him has helped me to love the word of God. Men and women in your church who have cultivated a love for the Bible can help you to love the Bible so you can help your kids love the Bible.
Now here is where the flashing red lights that say “warning!” show up… Don’t be arrogant! Many Christian adults think they have to appear put-together, self-sufficient, and mature, but this often keeps them from seeking the help they need most, and their kids suffer as a result. There is no shame in admitting that you struggle to love God’s word and looking for help. All you are doing is using the resources God has placed in your life to grow your own maturity so that you can be a resource to your kids. So be willing to humble yourself and admit to God that you don’t love his Word as you should, and pray for opportunities to grow in love for his Word.
And when opportunities present themselves, take them! 

• Ask questions of others in your church about what they’re learning in the Bible. This will quickly show you who is passionately in love with God’s word and can lead to more inspiring conversations.
• Find someone in your church who loves the Bible the way you wish you would, then read the Bible with them. Let their love and devotion for the Word spill over into your heart as you listen and ask questions.
• If you can afford the time, read devotionals that you enjoy alongside the Bible. I would highly recommend Morning and Evening by C.H. Spurgeon; it’s short and leaves a sweet taste for God’s word in your mouth that you want to satisfy with more reading.
• Don’t constrain yourself to one way of reading the Bible. No, a morning devotional with a coffee and a notebook with pretty notes is not the only way to read the Bible. Some people can’t think straight in the morning; some people’s notes aren't helpful to them; others (for some reason) don’t like coffee! Find what’s best for you; maybe consider evening devotionals, reading during lunch, listening in the car, reading out loud in a private room, or reading in a local park. God deserves the best of our attention and devotion, and that’s different for each person. Do the work to find what helps you love God’s Word and cherish and protect that time. 

Maturity Matters
My 16-year-old self didn’t need to be told to “sit down and do it”, what he needed was someone more mature than himself. Someone to model a love for God’s word for him so he could see what loving God’s word is like. In God’s good grace, theres been many people after that friend who have modeled a love for God’s word for me, and I’m grateful that the Lord has begun to use my passion for the Bible to inspire others as well. 
Instead of trying to teach our kids to be diligent in reading the Bible and hoping that they will fall in love with it themselves, what would it look like for you to fall in love with reading God’s Word and then model it to them? How much more effective would it be for you to overflow with a deeply devoted love for God’s word in your daily routines and words? How can your love for God’s word be contagious to the kids God has gifted you? 

I’m asking you to put your oxygen mask on before helping others on the plane to put on theirs. Your kids need your example to learn maturity, so doing the work to love the Bible for yourself is not selfish, it’s healthy for your family. 

Your kid’s maturity matters. 
They mature by modeling you, so…
your maturity matters.

Written by Jonathan Price,
Pastoral Intern at Friendship Baptist Church