Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible
April 3 Devotional – Psalm 3April 3 Devotional – Psalm 3
Posted by Grace Fellowship Church of State College on Friday, April 3, 2020
Or watch video here.
Psalm 3: Is there salvation in God?
April 2 Devotional – Psalm 2April 2 Devotional – Psalm 2
Posted by Grace Fellowship Church of State College on Thursday, April 2, 2020
Or watch video here.
Psalm 2: Blessing on those who trust God’s King
After the governor of the commonwealth in which I reside issued a stay-at-home order for my county, I began a series of 10-minute daily devotionals in the Psalms for the people in my church. Each morning, those who are available log in to the web conference and hear me speak briefly about a psalm’s structure, train of thought, main point, connection to Christ, and application to the current situation. Then we pray together and go about our day.
I’ve greatly benefitted from this daily study of a psalm, so I’d like to share the fruit of it with you. Perhaps these videos will encourage you in whatever you’re facing through this unusual season. Maybe they’ll strengthen your faith in the Lord Jesus who wrote and spoke the Psalms. Maybe they’ll give you examples of how OIA Bible study methods can be quite straightforward and personal. I’ll begin posting them here daily, and we’ll see how far the Lord allows us to go into the book.
Last week, I wrote an overview of the Book of Psalms, which provides foundational information that I’ll frequently tap into as I explain each psalm. Now here is my devotional on Psalm 1.
April 1, 2020 Devotional – Psalm 1
April 1 Devotional – Psalm 1Posted by Grace Fellowship Church of State College on Wednesday, April 1, 2020
For reference:
Psalm 1—Blessing on those who delight in God’s law
Note: After the first few videos, my sound equipment and screen sharing software will improve.
My children have really enjoyed making use of audio Bibles to develop a habit of daily Bible reading—even long past their preschool years. A few of them enjoy writing down some reflections, but most prefer to simply draw while listening. We have found that their listening comprehension is excellent.
But since every child and family is different, I believe there are many options for teaching children to love God through his word. Joe Carter has another idea that may work better for you or your kids. He proposes 3 simple steps:
Perhaps this could work for your family. Carter helpfully reminds us that flexibility is the most important principle: It’s okay if they miss a day. The most important thing is that we foster an environment where Bible reading is a habitual part of everyday life.
To develop a biblical worldview, we need to saturate our minds in Scripture. This requires repeatedly reading and engaging with the Bible throughout our lifetime. The earlier we begin reading the Bible the more time we have for God’s Word to seep into the marrow of our souls. That’s why helping a child to develop the habit of Bible reading is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.
Rostam Torki (2014), public domain
Most people don’t set out to gain fifteen pounds. Instead, their diet changes over time. Candy and ice cream take the place of fruits and vegetables, and the numbers on the scale creep northward.
It happens over weeks, not days. And unless a person is taking measurements, visiting the doctor, or talking with friends about their habits, they might not even notice.
The same drift that happens with diet can happen with Bible intake. And both types of drift can leave us in an unhealthy place.
Those with a commitment to God and his word don’t intend to drift away. But without an anchor, they get caught in the river’s current. They enjoy the breeze, not realizing they’re headed for the danger of a waterfall.
People that drift away from the Bible aren’t that different from you and me. They belong to churches. They have a history of practicing spiritual disciplines. But maybe they’re busy. Their priorities subtly shift. They develop other habits, even good habits like exercise or time with friends. And one day they realize they haven’t read the Bible in six months.
They don’t feel like they’ve forgotten the gospel, but the truth of the Bible is no longer at the front of their thinking. The glory of God is no longer the lens through which they see and interpret life. This leads to a person increasingly turned inward and focused on their own earthly happiness. Externally, they may be pleasant and kind, but their soul is in danger. Blatant, external sins often begin with the erosion of personal communion with God.
While it may seem unthinkable to walk away from God, we have plenty of examples in the Bible (Hebrews 6:1–8, John 6:60–71, 2 Peter 2:17–22). Each Christian likely has a story of a friend or acquaintance who was once near to Jesus and is now in a distant land.
A drift from God often begins with a drift from his word. So, how do we guard against this drift?
At the Gospel Coalition, Sara Wallace has two principles and three questions to help us teach our kids to read the Bible.
The principles:
The questions, for the kids to consider when they read:
It’s really that simple. Whether you try these three questions, or our devotional page, or any other way to frame these issues—the best thing we can do for our kids is inspire them to drink from the fountain of delights which is this book, the word of God. Whatever makes most sense to you and to your kids, do it!
Unlocking the Bible has a stimulating reflection on “The Not-So-Quiet Quiet Time,” where Colin Smith warns we should spend more time listening to God than listening to our own hearts.
It has become common among Christians to think that listening to God means being quiet and listening to our own hearts. But here’s the problem with that:
God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8).
If you believe that you listen to God by listening to your own heart, then what have you done? You have put your own heart in the place of God. If you make an idol of your heart, that will inevitably lead to a life of following the impulses of your own heart.
And who knows where that will lead you?
It’s worth considering: During your “quiet time,” whose voice do tend to listen to?
The rest of Smith’s article is worth reading. Check it out!
On a recent drive home, I had the following conversation with my 6-year-old daughter:
What did you learn at baseball practice tonight?
Lots of things!
Like what?
The same thing I learn at every practice.
And what is it that you learn at every practice?
I don’t remember…
No wonder she has to relearn it at every practice.
This is how shepherding children usually feels: seeking clarity, repeating things, practicing skills, and repeating things. Training our children to walk with God is no different. We can start early, promote good habits, and practice those habits year after year. The rare “Aha!” moments are glorious, but most of our parenting will consist of innumerable “try it again” moments.
Let’s not wait for the children to be ready to walk with the Lord before encouraging them to start practicing. If God placed them in your family, they are ready. Of course you should address matters of belief, character, and wisdom as you have opportunity. And from the children’s earliest days you can train them to hear God’s voice and respond to it.
Let’s say you’d like to hand your children a Bible and teach them to use it. You’d love to give them a handsome devotional page and begin coaching a new season. And though you are ready for this step, your children are not. They would stare blankly at the indecipherable runes and hieroglyphs and ask you where the pictures are. Your child cannot yet read.
What do you do?
We’ve found four things helpful in our household. I’d love to hear your ideas as well.
You can read the Bible as a family. You can read one-on-one. You can read in groups. Whatever it takes, however it works best for you, read the Bible to them.
The key, as always, is to read the Bible. Supplement their Bible intake with children’s Bibles, but don’t limit the children to the supplements. Like a good Amish cook, keep the grease right in that pan and don’t ever wash it out. Let your instruction simmer in the caloric, fatty goodness of God’s own words. Your children will get used to them and be able to understand them. These children are much smarter than we think they are.
For example, I had a child who consistently resisted instruction from us. He would get distracted and make excuses, refusing to hear counsel. We disciplined him when appropriate, but we clearly needed something more. So I had a private devotional time with this child in James 4:6-7. This child could not read, but he could understand that God would oppose him if he was proud. He knew he wouldn’t win if God fought against him, and the Scripture softened his heart toward us.
Children will imitate what they see. It’s nice if they know you go into a room alone to have time with Jesus, but it’s even better if they can see you spend time with Jesus day after day. Soon enough, their play time will include “time with Jesus,” and they’ll find “Bibles” to carry around with them.
My wife knew our kids would learn to use technology before they learned to read, so she taught them how to use a simple mp3 player. We loaded it with nothing but an audio Bible, and asked them to listen to it every morning. She would give them a track number (Bible chapter) for the day, and they would draw pictures while listening. But their drawings would take longer than a single track/chapter, so they’d hear multiple chapters in a row. The next day, she’d give them the next assigned chapter, which would involve some repetition from the day before. (In other words, on the day for Exodus 15, they’d hear Exodus 15-18. The next day would be “Exodus 16,” but they would hear Exodus 16-19.)
In these pictures, we’ve seen Noah carrying animals onto his boat, Abraham watching the stars, and Israel fleeing from “Ejip.”
Whales and drowning soldiers in the Red Sea, while long lines of Israelites pass through on dry ground (Exodus 14):
People gathering manna, baking it in the oven, and fighting Amalekites (Exodus 16):
Whatever you do should become routine (not mindless but regular). The more repetitive it gets, the more normal and expected it will be. And how many of us wish our time in Scripture and in prayer would feel normal and natural?
To be clear, our family life is not one of complete Bible bliss. We still eat dinner, watch Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and play baseball. We build legos, and we fight. But we try to organize life around the Scripture in basic and repetitive ways.
Here’s your chance to help the next generation. May they rise up and call you blessed.
As a Christian parent, one of my chief desires is for my children to come to faith in Jesus Christ. I pray frequently and fervently for God to give them new life, for without his Spirit their hearts will not change. (John 6:44, Rom 8:9)
Romans 10:17 teaches that there is no salvation apart from the Word of God. So as soon as your child can respond to sound, he should hear the Bible. Scripture songs, Bible stories, family worship, testimonies—let the rich story and good news of God’s salvation be the soundtrack of your home.
A child may begin the journey to faith by imitating his parents, but he must eventually confess Jesus as Lord with his own lips. Now God is sovereign over everything, including salvation, so there is no sure-fire formula. But on a human level, we can take this step of obedience: when your child is old enough to read, give him a Bible and train him to use it.
Erik Schepers (2015), Creative Commons License
My oldest daughter (eight) reads ravenously. This is a gift from God, yet my wife and I joke that we are in a small company who must discipline for too much reading. (Otherwise, her teeth might never get clean, you see.) I long to channel her love of reading toward God’s Word and to help her build a habit of private devotions, including time for both prayer and Bible study.
At Knowable Word, we maintain that personal Bible study is most profitable using the Observation-Interpretation-Application (OIA) method. But children this age may not be ready for all the OIA terms and worksheets. For my daughter, I simply want her to read and think about the Bible. So, I designed this devotions sheet for her, and I am excited to share it with you.
The document is intentionally simple. My daughter should be able to meet with God in a meaningful way without feeling overwhelmed. Though it depends on the child, it could be used by most children between ages 6 and 10.
During “Bible Time,” my daughter reads one passage and writes down one observation and one question. She should pray about something that springs from her reading.
The “Prayer Time” portion of the sheet is also uncomplicated. The prompts follow the easy-to-remember ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) model of prayer.
The writing space is important. Writing stimulates our thinking and focus, and when my daughter records her thoughts it helps me care for her. I know she’s completed her devotions, and I can follow up in response to her answers, if needed.
Let me leave you with some advice about helping your child begin a devotional life.
If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ve observed that we advocate for a specific method of personal Bible study. (We call it the OIA method—Observe, Interpret, Apply—though it goes by other names elsewhere.) You may have interpreted our repetition to mean we think you should adopt this practice. At this point, I hope the application is clear.
Nick (2008), Creative Commons License
But bringing OIA Bible study into your life might sound difficult, especially if you haven’t done much personal Bible study before. This approach to God’s Word is deliberate and thorough, so studying a portion of Scripture will take time, especially if the passage is lengthy.
But who has extra time?
Your schedule is already full. Your calendar might resemble an old wineskin containing new wine, set to burst (Matt 9:17). How can you find time for personal Bible study if this method demands so much time?
Instead of an exclusive focus on Bible study, I suggest you think in terms of Bible intake. With this term I include all the ways we interact with the Bible: reading, studying, memorizing, meditating, and hearing the Bible preached. The lines between these activities can be fuzzy, since starting with one practice might overlap with or lead into another. But all of these categories are important.
Think of Bible intake like the food you eat. The U.S. government urges a balanced diet consisting of foods from five groups, and your Bible intake should also be varied. Your bones might weaken if you ignore dairy, and you may show a spiritual deficiency if you neglect (for example) Bible memorization.
So you should be studying the Bible, because that’s part of a healthy diet of Bible intake. But this doesn’t mean you need to break out the OIA worksheets during every devotional opportunity. Some mornings you could read longer passages of Scripture and meditate on specific truths or promises. Other times you might work on Bible memorization.
Your devotional life will likely be different than mine. My own practices happen with far less frequency and passion than I would like, but I record them here in case they are helpful.
Make some time to think seriously about your own devotional practices. What are your priorities? Have you been ignoring any aspect of Bible intake? It’s one thing to read a blog about Bible study, but it’s far more important to make appointments in your life to meet with, learn from, and worship God in his Word.
Strive for Bible intake as often as possible. Make sure not to neglect Bible study. When you study the Bible, I suggest using the OIA method.
First, remember that there is no Scriptural command to read through the Bible every year. I’m not against reading great quantities of the Bible (or doing so quickly), but I’ve found this goal tends to dominate many Christians’ devotional practices. It produces guilt and crowds out other forms of Bible intake.
Second, our weeks are far more similar to each other than our days are. Establishing weekly devotional rhythms (including devotions-free days) can be more helpful than setting high daily expectations.
Finally, remember the gospel in your devotional life. Consistent devotions do not endear you to God, and inconsistent devotions do not turn the Father away. If you are his child, God’s love for you is full and perfect—he cannot love you any more or less than he does right now. The perfect life and death of Jesus—not any obedience of your own—has secured this for you once and for all.
