5 Encouraging Reasons to Read the Bible Right Now
This is the sixth post of a series entitled “Teaching the Catholic Faith at Home Series.”
Find the rest of the series here.
God is always with us – guiding us, protecting us, and loving us. God is everywhere! Then, why is it so hard to trust Him, sometimes? Why can’t we hear his voice so clearly when we desperately need or want to? There are many ways to grow closer to God, and, today, I am sharing one of my favorite ways for getting better at hearing his guiding voice. Today’s tip for teaching the Faith at home and growing closer to God while you do it is to read the Bible!
Teaching the Faith at home doesn’t need many books, but it does need some books.
The first book that should be in every Catholic home is a Bible.
I had never really been the type to read scripture daily (I actually fell away from the Faith for many years, but that is another story for another day). Reading the Bible just wasn’t emphasized in my home growing up. We did have a well-loved children’s bible that I do remember fondly. Looking back, it definitely planted the seed in me!
During the pandemic, I found the comfort, love, and wisdom found in reading the Bible daily. Once I started, I have always looked forward to opening those thin, worn pages and hearing what God has to tell me each time.
Over the past few years, I have noticed many wonderful benefits of reading Scripture daily. Do I miss a day every now and then? Yes. Is God waiting for me lovingly and grandly in those pages when I open them up again? Absolutely!
Reading the Bible is thought-provoking, encouraging, comforting, and spiritually fulfilling. Today, I will discuss some benefits of reading the Bible and 3 easy ways to get into Bible time with your kids!
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5 Benefits to Reading the Bible
A routine for reading the Bible has many benefits. Some benefits include:
Getting better at reading the Bible: The bible has poetic and, sometimes, tough language. Like anything else, it becomes easier to understand with practice.
Hearing God’s Living Word: The Bible is God’s Living Word. It is relevant and alive no matter what your age or stage in life. Today, you may read a passage and hear God speaking to you in a certain way. In 10 years, you may read the same passage again and glean something totally different from it. The Holy Spirit is alive and moving through these scriptures. The Holy Spirit is bringing God’s Words to our hearts.
Stress relief: If something stressful or upsetting is going on in your life, there’s a Bible verse for it! The Bible offers so much encouragement in times of trouble. It lifts us up further in times of joy! If you have an established Bible routine, you will be encountering God’s word regularly to help you get through your day and through times of trouble.
Helping you enter into the Mass more fully: During Mass, we hear readings from the Bible. If you take time to read the Bible outside of Mass, you will actually get more out of the readings during Mass! Reading the Bible throughout your days will give you time to sit with the Word and reflect. Then, when you hear it during Mass, the meaning can become even deeper and fuller.
Helping you to know God! God made us to know Him, love Him, serve Him, and be happy with Him for eternity! Reading the Bible is a wonderful way to spend time with God outside of Mass and form a close relationship with Him. When we know God, we know His voice! Reading the Bible teaches us when that little nudge or voice telling us what to do is, in fact, God. The more you read the Bible, the more you will know God. The more you know God, the more you will hear Him.
Bible Time with Kids
So, how can we introduce the Bible to our kids and get them into a Bible reading routine? Here are 3 easy ways to start diving into the Bible with kids!
Bible Bedtime Stories
Reading the bible with our kids is powerful. Try replacing a bed time story with a Bible story. There are many beautiful kids Bibles. Just make sure the one you choose is an approved Catholic Bible. In addition to reading from a kids’ Bible, make sure to read scripture to them from a complete, full length Catholic Bible.
Memorizing Scripture
Kids are like little sponges that can memorize anything very easily. Try memorizing the Responsorial Psalm every Sunday or another part of the Mass readings with them. Discuss them before Mass so that your kids can become familiar with scripture.
Catholic Bible Songs
These songs are adorable and have helped our family memorize lots of bible verses! Shows on Formed such as Benjamin Cello and Christine in Action also have songs to help memorize and learn scripture.
Make sure to write scripture on their hearts so that they can know pure beauty and truth!
Action Step
Put out your Bible and a children’s Bible in a prominent place in your home. Schedule a time daily to read the Bible together! Even 5 minutes a day can make a huge difference!