Heartprints

3 Ways to Encourage a Love for the Bible

You can’t force someone to like something just because you do, but that doesn’t mean you have no influence.  As a famous saying goes,  “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. However, you can always feed him his salt.”

Sometimes we underestimate our influence over others, especially our own family members.  One of the reasons I love the Bible so much today is due to the influence of my parents, older siblings, and respected adult leaders in our church.

Here are 3 Ways to pass on a love for the Word of God.

1.)  Be excited about God’s Word & show it.  In baseball, you can’t catch the ball unless someone has the ball to throw your way.  The same thing holds true in other areas of life. Sometimes it’s hard to catch something unless someone who has it throws it our way.

2.)  Use a physical copy of the Bible. It’s not wrong to use a Bible app on your phone or tablet, but  don’t forget the power and visual effect of actually holding the Word of God. Take your Bible to church. If you teach a kid’s class, hold your Bible open while you teach.

3.)  Talk about its importance. Remind children that the Bible is not like other books; it’s the Word of God. Talk about how the Bible is inerrant (free of error) and why it’s reliable. [Josh McDowell offers a short article on “What  Makes the Bible so Special?” or see Scripture Union’s “Top Ten Reasons the Bible is True.”]

Sarah is the author of Bathsheba’s Responsibility in Light of Narrative Analysis, contributor to Vindicating the Vixens, and contributing editor for The Evangelism Study Bible. Some of her previous ministry experiences have included teaching and mentoring of adults and children in a wide variety of settings. Her small claim to fame is that she has worked with children of every age range from birth through high school over the past 20 years. She and her husband Ben reside in Richardson, Texas with their four children.

2 Comments

  • SonShine

    So very true

    I am so glad you pointed these things out. When Children see us carry our Bibles with reverence they understand how precious it is. Sharing this! 

    Thanks Sarah!