Did you know that you are never too young to start reading the Bible. John Quincy Adams, our 6th President of the United States, said it so well: “So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens of their country and respectable members of society.”1
And the older we get the more we should appreciate and cherish daily Bible reading. Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, expressed this thought so beautifully when he said: “The nearer I approach to the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible, the grandeur and sublimity of God’s remedy for fallen man are more appreciated, and the future is illumined with hope and joy.”2
You may ask me what is the reason for this bold claim. The great English novelist, Charles Dickens, shared his reasons when he proclaimed: “The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world.”3
If you are a Christian parent I can’t think of a more worthwhile activity than to read the Bible daily to your young child. Imagine the impact you will have on your child by sharing the Bible for just 15 minutes daily for the first 10 years of your child’s life. Studies show that these first 10 years are critical in the development of a child’s makeup. Why not impart the divine wisdom of the Scriptures with them early on. This wisdom will last them a lifetime and according to Theodore Roosevelt: “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”4
I believe that cultivating a young child to appreciate daily Bible reading early on will maximize the possibility that they will carry this practice into adulthood and old age. I can’t think of a greater gift to give a child than this. I totally agree with Abraham Lincoln when he shared: “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”5
And just think of the great company you will be in with when you begin to read the Bible daily. Sir Isaac Newton understood the importance of daily Bible reading when he stated: “I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.”6 The great General Douglas MacArthur echoed similar thoughts when he said: “Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed.”7 And famed American film producer and director, Cecil B. DeMille, summed up the great joy in daily Bible reading as follows: “After more than sixty years of almost daily reading of the BIBLE, I never fail to find it always new and marvelously in tune with the changing needs of every day.”8
As we advance in age the one thing we need is more wisdom on how to lead a successful and joyful life. Former President, Herbert Hoover, knew about the relationship between wisdom and the Bible when he said: “There is no other book so various as the Bible, nor one so full of concentrated wisdom. Whether it be of law, business, morals, etc.…. He who seeks for guidance … may look inside its covers and find illumination.”9
And in our senior years, with eternity staring us in the face, I like the wisdom that the great US Statesman, Daniel Webster, shared when he said: “The BIBLE fits man for life and prepares him for death.”10
Finally, not only does the Bible prepare us for life, but it makes the journey full of joy and delight. Former President, Woodrow Wilson, shares what those who don’t read the Bible daily are missing out on when he declared: “I am sorry for men who do not read the Bible every day. I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and pleasure.”11
1 presidential quotes on God and the Bible (alittleperspective.com)
2 Henry M. Morris, Men of Science: Men of God (El Cajon, CA: Master Books, 1988), p. 47.
3 AZquotes.com: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/543341
4 BrainyQuote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/theodore_roosevelt_147900
5 What Christians Want to Know.com: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/quotes-about-the-bible-25-awesome-sayings/
6 Bible Quotes From Famous People (turnbacktogod.com)
7 Bible Quotes From Famous People (turnbacktogod.com)
8 FAMOUS QUOTES ABOUT THE BIBLE (internationalwallofprayer.org)
9 Bible Quotes From Famous People (turnbacktogod.com)
10 FAMOUS QUOTES ABOUT THE BIBLE (internationalwallofprayer.org)