Family Devotions. What family hasn't struggled with being consistent in this area? Since our oldest was two years old, we've been doing devotions at night. Sure, we've had our seasons when we didn't stay on task, but, for the most part, by God's grace, we've been fairly steady.
When our boys were toddlers we read from children's picture Bibles. As they got a little older and could sit a little longer, we read from the CATHERINE VOS STORY BIBLE . This story Bible is, by far, the best I've ever seen. We ended up using it in our home school studies when we studied Ancient History with the VERITAS PRESS history cards.
But alas, the days of the story Bible are long gone. Our boys are maturing, and God is giving them a hunger to dig deeper into His Word. Because of this, we have been using BALANCING THE SWORD By Allen Wolfe. This is a two-volume set. Each book has questions covering the entire Bible.
How does it work? Glad you asked. Here is how we use Balancing the Sword. We are currently in Genesis. We spend one night just reading our chapter in Genesis. The next night we answer the questions posed in Balancing the Sword. These are not hard questions; my kids can shout the answers almost immediately. So what's the big deal? Well, the questions might be easy (though some are tricky), but there are anywhere from five to ten scripture references to look up that verify the answer, tie things together, and point to the fulfillment of God's promises. My husband goes around the table and assigns scriptures for us to look up and read. Our boys love it.
Bottom line: Scripture comments on Scripture.
Aside from the obvious benefit of having our family search God's Word together, one of the biggest blessings are the discussions that have been ignited by Balancing the Sword. God is allowing us to see our boys learn to discern and think critically in respect to His Word.
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15
It's easy for kids who grow up in Christian homes to adopt the beliefs of their parents when they are young. But adopting our beliefs won't save them. There comes a time when they have to own what they believe. Their relationship with the Savior has to move from "something Mom and Dad taught me" to something personal. In order for them to answer God's call on their lives, they need to know the character of Him who calls. And what better way to know about the character of God than through His Word to us?
I highly recommend Balancing the Sword.
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