Hidden Words

The Scriptures tell us that Timothy was taught the Scriptures from infancy (2 Tim. 3:15) by his grandmother Louis and mother Eunise (2 Tim 1:5).  These passages emphasize the importance of training our children to know the Bible in hopes that they will come to love God, love His Word, and therefore live according to His Word. 

This past month I thought we would try to begin to teach E the first of ten major Scriptural convictions we desire him to fully understand before he leaves our home.  We will try to spend a month on each conviction and repeat those teachings for the rest of his years with us.  The first one was "The Bible is the inspired Word of God and the final authority for my life."  We focused on 2 Tim. 3:16.  I made up a little pictogram of the first half of that passage in hopes that the pictures would help him memorize it.  (I'd post the pictures here, but I don't know how to post a file to blogs yet.)  I also made up a few hand motions to go with it.  He was actually able to learn it!  He can now remember and say "The Bible is God-breathed". 

We have been emphasizing this truth  in two ways.
1. We ask him if the story/book we are about to read is true.  We are trying to help him understand that the Bible is God-breathed and therefore completely true and reliable.  So many of the Bible stories do sound unbelievable and we to make sure that he knows that though the stories of the Bible sometimes sound as fanciful as make-believe stories, that God's stories really happened to real people.     

2. When teaching and correcting E we have been telling him that God told us what is right and what is wrong and that since God knows what is best for us we should obey Him.. 

We started working on a verse to go along with this Sunday morning "Bible class".  He is starting to be able "read" and say that one if he looks at the pictures I made for him.  I plan on starting the next topic this week.

What joy it brings my heart to know that E is begining to hide God's Word in his heart.  Our prayer is that in doing so he will be convicted of the sin in his life, understand his need for a Savior, believe in Jesus Christ as his Savior, and grow in Christ-likeness (Ps. 119:11).