Some things you can take or leave. For example, many of you had your tonsils removed as a kid. And after eating a lot of ice cream for a while, you recovered and life has moved on as if nothing happened. It turns out you don’t really need those after all. But heart surgery is a whole different world. If our hearts fail, it’s usually fatal. Hospitals have machines to help a struggling heart because everyone knows you won’t last long without a heartbeat. It turns out we need that one a lot! We can live without our tonsils, but a heart is essential.
Worship is like that. There are parts of worship that are wonderful, but not always essential. But, like a heart, other parts are absolutely essential. Scripture is one of those essential bits. God’s word has been a centerpiece of Christian worship since the beginning. As you worship together as a family, my hope is that you’ll keep Scripture at the center too. So, with that thought, here are couple of tips for reading Scripture as a family:
Reading more isn’t always better – The more I spend at Chick-fil-A, the more rewards points I get. That’s not how the Bible works, but sometimes we think it is. Reading three chapters of Scripture isn’t more spiritual than reading three verses. Find an amount that’s right for your family and start there. Consider your family circumstances. What is the attention span of the most easily distracted? What is the reading comprehension of the youngest? Focus on the quality of reading time, not the quantity.
It’s okay to miss days – Try to be consistent, but be prepared for life to happen. The eleventh commandment isn’t, “Thou shall read the Bible every single day.” If you miss a day, don’t lay on the guilt and definitely don’t give up. God doesn’t demand that you double up (or triple up) to make up for the days you missed. Just pick back up where you left off and resume again. Give yourself some grace – God does.
Ask questions – The goal isn’t reading; it’s understanding. Asking questions helps to that end, so take some time to discuss what you’ve read together. Why do you think that person did what they did? Was that the right thing to do or not? What does this story teach us about God? Questions make us stop and digest what we’ve read. Don’t move on too quickly once you’ve closed your Bible!
Always look for Jesus – There’s a whole separate blog post coming about this later, but make sure your Scripture reading points to Jesus. The goal of the Bible isn’t moral examples or behavior modification plans. The goal is to reveal God and we know God most personally in Jesus Christ. Jesus told the men on the road to Emmaus that the Scriptures were all about him (Luke 24:25-27). If that’s true, then you’re not done reading until you encounter Jesus. Make sure you keep the main thing the main thing for your family.
Reading the Bible is a privilege. We have so many wonderful translations available in so many different forms. Don’t twist such a wonderful gift into a dead duty. The Scriptures reveal Jesus – the one who knows us, loves us, died for us, and will one day raise us from the dead. Isn’t that a delight?