Why Reading the Bible as a Family Is Important
We think of reading as a solitary pursuit; it’s just the book and its reader, together on a silent journey. The Bible, as you well know, is not like other books, however. You should read it aloud, read it together with others, and discuss its content, and there’s no better group to talk about it with than your family. Here’s why reading the Bible as a family is important to your spiritual and mental growth.
Dedicated Family Time
There are only so many hours in a day, and those hours fill up fast. We tend to fill the idle moments we do have in our schedules with our smartphones and the faraway people who appear on their screens. As our lives get busier and busier, it gets harder to spend time together as a family actively—and we mean truly active, not just watching TV together at dinner in the living room. Carving out time for weekly Bible study assures that you and your family will enjoy a meaningful activity together that intellectually and spiritually nourishes in ways no phone game can.
Instill a Love for Reading
New research has underscored what we knew in our hearts all along—that children who grow up in literate households with well-lined bookshelves will have better reading skills than children whose parents don’t instill a love of reading in them. Remember that children have an innate desire to learn and teach themselves. Reading the King James Bible together will give kids a lot to learn because of its dense storytelling and high register. Think of it as swimming in the deep end together. By establishing the Bible as a book to study and celebrate, kids will develop a tradition of reading that will fan out to more and more books. The more advanced your child is in reading, the better he or she will fare. As you stock your bookshelf, remember that an edition of the King James Bible from our KJV Bible store will make a fine addition to your home library.
The Western Canon: The Bible Holds the Key
Reading the Bible together does more than advance your children’s traditional literacy; it also enriches their cultural literacy. The Bible forms the foundation for much of our storytelling tradition, from books to movies to television. Reading the Bible as a family is important because references to the Bible are everywhere in the modern world. So, if your family members can recognize and contextualize them immediately, they’ll have a deeper understanding of themes and characters in other media.
Life Lessons That Still Hold True
People might have written the Bible halfway around the world some thousands of years ago, but so many of its concepts are universal and timeless. Now, as much as ever, the Bible teaches us the importance of forgiveness, consideration for the company we choose to keep, and the rewards of a disciplined life. Philippians 4:8 gives us this overarching lesson on keeping our heads in the right places: “whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” That’s something the whole family can take to heart.