By the Book

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

“This isn’t working!” said Lucas. “Josiah is really good at math, and today he showed me how to do these math problems, but I still can’t figure them out.”

Mom walked to the table where Lucas was doing his homework. “Doesn’t your textbook tell you how to do them? Let’s take a look at it to make sure Josiah gave you the right information.”

“Okay,” said Lucas. He opened the book and found the chapter they were studying.

“All right,” said Mom. “Now try it one more time. Follow these directions step by step.” She pointed to the instructions listed in the textbook.

Lucas started again. “Now it’s working!” he said a little later. “Josiah left out a step when he told me how to do these. Thanks for helping me, Mom.”

That evening, Dad asked Lucas to read their family devotional out loud. “Read the Bible passage first,” he said, “and then the story.”

“But some of the words in the Bible are too hard for me, and I don’t know what a lot of the verses mean anyway,” said Lucas. “Can’t I just read the story?”

“The stories help us understand the Bible passage, but they’re not God’s Word,” said Dad. “We need to read the Bible to hear God’s truth and direction for our lives and trust Him to use His Word to make us more like Jesus. Mom and I will help you with any hard words.”

Mom nodded. “Lucas, think about what happened when you were doing your homework today. You couldn’t get the correct answer going by Josiah’s directions, could you? They were missing a step, right?”

“Right,” said Lucas. “But when I read the book, I got it.”

“Exactly,” said Mom. “I’m sure Josiah meant to teach you how to do it the right way, but people make mistakes. That’s why we need to read God’s Word for ourselves.”

“That’s right,” said Dad. “It’s important to listen to others who can help us understand what the Bible says, but we also need to read it ourselves to know what they say is true. God speaks to us through His Word, and He doesn’t make mistakes.”

Lucas flipped through the Bible’s pages. “Okay, I found the verses for tonight, and I’m ready to read.”

–Shelley L. Russwurm

How about you? Do you find the Bible hard to read? Are some of the words difficult for you to understand? Keep on reading anyway! As you get older, it will become easier for you to read and understand. You can ask parents, teachers, and pastors to help explain what some of the verses mean. Above all, trust God to help you understand the truth of His Word and use it to make you more like Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true…It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Read God’s Word