【DAY 4】Leading Children to Know the Word of God—the Bible
We need to lead our children to know the word of God — the Bible. The Bible is our only standard; the Bible teaches us about God and the things of God（2 Tim. 3:16）. The Bible is the book of books. All secular books are similar in nature and are of man, but the Bible is different from other books because it is holy. We must realize the uniqueness of the Bible.
On God’s side, the Bible is God’s breathing out. On our side, the Bible allows us to breathe in God. The Bible not only causes us to be wise unto salvation but also to be profitable in four things, teaching, conviction, correction, and instruction in righteousness, and even to gain God Himself (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
There are many examples and illustrations in the Bible that show us what a treasure God’s word is! We need to show these examples to our children and teach them to follow these examples. Daniel was a man of prayer who prayed according to God’s word, God’s revelation, and God’s heart, so that God would have a way to accomplish His desire.
The word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart （Psa. 119:134; Heb. 4:12）.
David kept the law of God. Although he sinned and broke the law, yet his heart was always to keep the law of God and to be a man after God’s own heart.
Nehemiah was an aggressive leader（Neh. 1:11b; 2:3）. He was a man who loved God and the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem. He gathered the Israelites, and registered the return of the captives according to the genealogy, in order to increase the number of Jerusalem.
Ezra was skilled in the word of God (Ezra 7:6, 11). He was not only a priest, but also a scribe, and a master in the law of God. Therefore, Nehemiah and the people asked Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses to teach the people to know the law of God and to keep the law of God (Neh. 8:1-18).
Both Paul and Timothy are positive examples and illustrations in the New Testament. Paul was an example to believers in preaching the gospel and proclaiming the truth (1 Tim. 2:7). From his youth, Timothy received the healthy words and the teaching that is according to godliness (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15-17).
A negative example is in the book of Judges. Israel forsook God and the word of God, and they were defeated by the army of the enemy. Gradually they became corrupt. How did they draw near to God again? By drawing near to the word of God, and coming before God with a clear confession of sins for what had been done.
What is the way for the parents to impart the word of God into their children? First, they themselves have to follow a good pattern. The parents must love God and the word of God, and read the Bible themselves every day. It is through this method that children can be taught and helped to know the word of God, so that they can fully know the truth.
Parents need to accompany children to develop the habit of reading the Bible (Heb. 5:14). This is what “family time” is like at my house. Although I travel a lot, whenever I’m home for a day, I read a chapter of the Bible with my children, recite a verse in prayer, and pray for each other at the end of the day. It only takes about ten minutes, but there is significant influence on the children and should never be undervalued. Parents must pray with their children. If they do not read the Lord’s word, they will not have a basis for prayer and will not be able to know the Lord’s heart. Therefore, it is very important for parents to spend time with their children to form the habit of reading the Bible.
In daily living, parents need to seize the opportunity to supply them with the word of God in a timely manner, especially when children have some special experiences. For example, if a school teacher teaches our children about evolution, saying that man was not made by God but evolved from monkeys, we can take the opportunity to speak truthfully about God’s creation, and God’s purpose for creating man. If there are some sins and difficulties that our children cannot overcome, we can teach them to turn to the Lord, confess their sins, repent, take the blood of the Lord, and experience the grace of the Lord. This is how we bring them from the law to grace, by doing so, we help them to experience the salvation of God.
