Read The Bible With Your Family During National Bible Week

This week is National Bible Week (November 13-19) – a time when families across the country will explore Scripture together to learn more about God, prayer, faith, and spiritual principles that can transform our lives. And it’s not too late to celebrate!

National Bible Week was established in 1941 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who believed it was important for families to set aside time to honor God for giving us His Word. Families have observed this time-honored tradition throughout our nation for the past 75 years!

There are many reasons why it’s important for us to study God’s Word with our families. As parents, we’re responsible for teaching our children about God, for teaching them godly values, and for helping them to grow in their capacity to love one another and apply biblical truths to their lives.

We’re also called to be faithful to these Scriptures:

These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. – Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. – Colossians 3:16

Here are some ideas about how to make your family’s time in God’s Word both inspirational and impactful during National Bible Week:

• Set aside a specific time each day when your family can commit to gather and read God’s Word.
• Ask family members to read portions of Scripture that are meaningful to them and to share the significance of the passages.
• Ask your family to share their favorite Scripture verses with one another. Take a Family Bible Memorization Challenge to be able to recite one of their verses by the end of the week.
• Invite your family to learn more about God or their favorite Bible character this week and to share Scriptures and stories about them that reveal that person’s character.
• Create fun ways for all family members to participate! Perhaps younger or more artistic family members would like to journal, color, write letters or prayers, or share hymns and songs in response their time in God’s Word! Maybe your family likes games and can create a fun game to play together that involves Bible reading!

Another great way to get children and teenagers excited about studying God’s Word with the family is to present them with new Bibles that have been picked with their needs in mind! With so many choices available, picking the perfect Bible can be an overwhelming task. But, there are three new specialty Bibles that my family has fallen in love with that I know your kids will love, too!

The NIrV Love Letters From God Holy Bible

A wonderful Bible that personalizes God’s love for your child! Punctuated throughout the full NIrV text of this Bible in devotional format are 80 personal love letters from God that feature 80 prompts encouraging children to write their own letters to God. This Bible also includes eight full-color inserts highlighting core concepts of the Christian faith, plus full color maps and a beautiful presentation page. This is a perfect “first” Bible for children of all ages to grow into!

The NIV Wonders Of Creation Holy Bible – Illustrations To Color And Inspire

This Bible will delight creative children who love to color and who find joy in celebrating God’s magnificent creation! This Bible incorporates over 50 stunning illustrations of God’s creatures, along with select Scripture verses, into the full NIV text. The illustrations are printed on extra-thick paper that is ready to absorb whatever colorful medium you apply to it, and the Bible features lay-flat binding to make coloring a joy. Adults who enjoy coloring will also enjoy this Bible!

The NIV Bible For Teen Guys – Finding Faith, Wisdom And Strength With Daily Readings

The perfect Bible to help teenage boys grow into men of God as they navigate their way through the challenges of life! In addition to standard features such as Book Introductions and a Concordance, this Bible features Daily Readings by popular male authors – Character Profiles of men in the Bible – and highlighted promise of God that you’ll want your sons to remember. This is the perfect gift for your teenage son!

Which of these Bibles would make the perfect gift for your child?

As parents, we’re responsible for the spiritual growth and formation of our children. It falls upon our shoulders to introduce them to God – to teach them about His character – to make sure they know right from wrong and have the moral fortitude to make the right choices when it counts.

Spending quality time together as a family each day in God’s Word is an important way to model and re-inforce the values we want our kids to develop in their own lives.

Each day, when the world tugs at our hearts, our families are called to choose who we will serve and follow:

But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24:15

Let’s help our kids to make the right choice by spending time in God’s Word together as a family during National Bible Week, and making this the start of an ongoing family tradition!

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Your Turn

What activities work particularly well for your family when you share God’s Word together? What are your goals as you share God’s Word together as a family in the days to come? Are there any specific challenges that you’ve faced and overcome in the process? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments!