I remember when I was 13 years old, my pastor gave me one of those “365 - Devotions for Teen Boys” books. Even though I was beginning to fall away from God, I decided to give it a try and woke up each morning to read and write in my new devotional book.
But just like everyone, after a few days, I forgot to read my devotional one day and a day turned into a few, and a few days turned into a couple of months, and before I knew it, the book was gathering dust in my bedroom. I felt like I had failed and never felt confident on how to read the Bible or even how to understand it.
While it’s important to be involved in church, one hour a week cannot fill your student spiritually enough to help them fight the battles they encounter on a weekly basis. They need time with God each day – but where to start?
1 – Find The Right Translation
I grew up reading the KJV and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this translation, but as a student, I found it difficult to read and understand. It wasn’t until college when I received a different Bible translation that I actually began to read the Bible and felt that I could retain and comprehend what’s happening. Ask your student if they understand the version they’re reading and make a prayerful decision for what might be best for them to read. At FBCO, we recommend the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) as it is both accurate to the original text and easy to read.
2 – Try The Audio Bible
Some students don’t love to read – and that’s okay! If your student doesn’t love reading, help them start off in the Word by encouraging them to listen to the Bible on the YouVersion Bible App. For most of history, people didn’t have access to the written Bible and the only way they received the Word was through hearing someone else speak it. While sitting and reading the Bible for yourself is powerful, this is might be a great starting point for your student.
3 – Set Reasonable Goals
We don’t want students to feel like they’ve failed, especially when it comes to their time with God! But sometimes when it comes to Bible Study, we start off with these big challenges and if we don’t meet them, we feel like we’ve failed and give up. Help your student set up a reasonable goal. For example, we often recommend reading/listening through the book of 1 John. At one chapter a day, you could read the entire book in five days! This helps students not only know that time in the Word is important but also helps them feel they’ve accomplished something and often will want to continue with more!
4 – Put The Phone Down
This might sound like it contradicts the advice about the Audio Bible, but one the best things students can do for their Bible study is to put their phone down on the other side of the room. Our phones are a tool for good or for bad – the enemy wants to use it to distract students from what’s important. Encourage your student to use a hardcopy Bible, set their phone on the other side of the room, take off their smart watch and be quiet with God. For those listening, have them turn their phones upside down and listen and be quiet with God.
5 – Show Them Time WIth God Is Important
My parent’s didn’t really begin to make God a priority in their lives until I was in college, but I remember waking up in the morning to get some coffee and seeing my mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table reading their Bibles. At first it felt a little weird because I had never seen that before, but as I saw them making God first and seeing the spiritual growth in their lives, it began to make an impact on me. While it’s not for show, what might happen if your student saw you reading the Bible each day? What could that do for their life?
Have questions? Is there a way we can pray for you? If so, please reach out to fbcostudents@fbcofallon.org