One of our a Bible studies for this year is Hidden Treasures in Philippians. We are working double-speed through this study so we can begin Hidden Treasures in Hebrews after Christmas.
Heart of Dakota has “Bible” as an independent subject at this level. However, I am doing the subject with my daughter. I want her to learn to have personal Bible time, but I also think discipleship is not a solitary practice.
Discipleship is a beautiful thing. The discussions that happen during Bible time are priceless. For instance, today we were reading about 2 Corinthians 6:14.
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
2 Corinthians 6:14 NASB
We talked about how being bound means having a close relationship. We are bound when we marry. We are also bound by our friends. The discussion centered around choosing Godly friendships, or ones in which we choose friends that also love Jesus.
This doesn’t mean we can never befriend someone that isn’t a Christian. It does mean that we must be careful in our friendships; that our closest friends share our faith. I gave the example of how it is easier to pull a person off of a chair than the person on the chair to lift up someone from the ground.
These discussions are important to me because, as much as I want my child to remember the lessons in the Bible study, she will remember the conversations and the practical applications of the Scriptures just as much.
“Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17 NASB
I look at Bible study at this crucial age as iron sharpening iron. She does study her Bible for other things, such as challenges given in her youth group. With Heart of Dakota, she is in her Bible daily to look up what it says about different topics she is covering in history or science.
Right now my husband and I are beginning ministry classes. We find doing them together or with a group gives us much more than just doing the classes alone. We still have private time with God in the Word and prayer time. However, doing the classes with others gives is the chance to trade ideas and discuss meanings.
My favorite memories with my older homeschooled children were the Bible times we had in the mornings. It was not a mostly serious time. It was light-hearted and fun. My girls would sing Veggietales songs, even into high school, when we got to a particular lesson that was related to a Veggietales movie. They also had a blast trying to pronounce some of the Old Testament names. This time has become part of our family culture, as the stories still are brought up during family gatherings.
Is there anything better than having Bible study as a part of your family culture?
Our mornings start with the Word of God. I love the name of this inductive study... Hidden Treasures. That is exactly what I feel like we are doing, digging for Treasure.
I worried that this study might be a little too young for my daughter. Instead, I have found we can always go a little deeper during our conversations. Today, for instance, when we discussing being “bound” to friends, we actually talked about various friends of hers and mine. This wasn’t a judgment on any of them, but more a conversation about which friends bring out the best side of us, encouraging us in our faith and our daily walk. It was also a reminder of the type of friend we need to be to others.
Best of all, it was a reminder that Jesus is our best friend; always there to encourage, support, listen, and guide. He will always be honest. He will always correct us when we are wrong. Most of all, He will always love us.
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