Apply Scripture to all of life: Apply God’s word to all of life, discussing it with your child all throughout the day. When you gaze at the stars in the sky together, teach them Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” When your child is teased by a friend, read them the story of Peter and Jesus and talk about how Jesus was rejected for our sakes. The opportunities to talk about God’s word are endless.

“Mom,” my oldest son whispered and nudged me.

He nodded to the screen in front of us. We were at church and the worship leader was reading from Philippians 2, a passage we had just finished memorizing together.

My youngest then looked up at the screen and noticed the familiar words. He turned to me, smiled, and started repeating it along with the congregation.

God’s Word

I once had a teacher tell me that a person can lose everything they own, but no one can take what they have learned. If we lost everything but still had God’s word in our heart, we’d have everything we need. That’s because God’s word isn’t just a book; it’s the source of all truth and wisdom. It tells us who we are and how we got here. It shows us our greatest problem and our greatest need. It reveals all that God has done for us through Christ and the only way to salvation. It tells us all we need to know to live for God in this fallen world. God’s word is food for our souls. Unlike any other book we read, it is active and alive, transforming us from the inside out. And it’s our source of comfort and peace in a dark and confusing world.

As believers, we desire for our children to know, love, believe, and live out God’s word in their lives. While it is the job of the Spirit to apply the word to our children’s heart, we have a duty to teach our children God’s word (Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Ways to Teach Children Scripture

1. Read it Yourself: We can’t teach our children what isn’t first in our own hearts. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 first says that God’s word is to be upon our own hearts and then it tells us to instruct our children in the word. We teach them out of the overflow of our hearts.

2. Read Together: Read God’s word together as a family each day. Pick a book of the Bible and read through it one chapter at a time. Discuss what you’ve read, what it means, and what it teaches about God. As your children get older, do a Bible study together, one that takes you through a passage verse by verse.

3. Encourage them to read it on their own: Provide your children copies of their own Bibles.

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