Jesus FollowersExemple

Our Worship | A Love for the Word

From Rachel-Ruth

Both sets of my grandparents and my dad played a vital role in cultivating my love for God’s Word. But hands down, the one who has most influenced me to love, cherish, and rely on my Bible is my mother. Growing up, when I would come down the stairs in the mornings, I would find her either on her knees praying or studying her Bible. From that study has come a wealth of wisdom and knowledge that has gotten her through many major storms and has also equipped her to counsel me through my storms. She loves the Bible with all her heart, and that love is evident in how she lives out what she learns in humble obedience. 

As I observe how my mom immerses herself in the Bible, I feel like I get to witness what someone is like in Heaven, living in the presence of God. It’s as if she is already there. Problems don’t matter, sickness doesn’t matter, an unstable world doesn’t matter, because her eyes are on Jesus, her loving heavenly Father . . . through the pages of His written Word. 

My girls have grown up seeing me in my Bible on a daily basis. They gather around and do their homework while I work on Bible study. Often I’ll stop and share something the Lord has shown me. I want my girls to be saturated in God’s Word, which means I have to be too. One of Tai Tai’s quips was “You can’t teach your children to love spinach if every time they see you eating yours, you gag.” While funny, that’s true! Our children learn more by what they see us doing than by what we tell them. 

If I told people that I loved someone but they could see that I often refused to listen to him, dismissed his advice, and didn’t care to spend time with him, those people would emphatically disagree with my declaration of love for him. It’s one thing to say I love someone, but it’s another thing to actually live out my love for that person. If we truly love God, then we will love His Word. We will be eager to listen to what He has to say. 

What view of the Bible are you passing down to your children? When your children, your friends, or your coworkers look at your life, do they see the Bible as being important to you?