How to Pass Your Faith on to Your Children
It is every Christian parent's dream that their children will grow up to love Jesus Christ and obey the commandments of God Almighty, and that is God's will for every child as well.
One of the reasons God picked Abraham to be the father of Israel was that God knew Abraham would command his children and his household to keep the way of the Lord: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment.
" This same sentiment from Genesis 18:19 is echoed in Proverbs 22:6 as God instructs all parents to operate as Abraham did; to train up their children in the ways of God.
As Proverbs 22:6 goes on to state, there is a great promise in godly instruction: when children grow up they will not depart from the things of God.
These two scriptures state an important biblical truth: parents are to set the example for their children to follow.
If you want to pass your faith along to your children become an example to them.
God has provided His own illustration of how to do that in Deuteronomy 11:18-21 by stating: "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
" These scriptures reveal that God wants parents to teach their children biblical ideals.
That means parents must learn some things about God! Become an example! Make the effort to attend a good biblically based church every Sunday; begin to immerse yourself and your family in the things of God regularly.
Remember this, your children will emulate your actions; if you place little importance on church attendance now, your children will place even less importance on church attendance later.
Ephesians 6:4 gives parents clear instruction that they are to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
In other words, parents should instruct the children in the things of God and set good examples for them.
Gill's commentary puts it this way: "instructing them in the knowledge of divine things, setting them good examples, taking care to prevent their falling into bad company, praying with them, and for them, bringing them into the house of God, under the means of grace, to attend public worship.
" As a parent, are you doing those things? While it's never too late to start initiating godly habits, it is God's will that such behavior begins while children are young, and Isaiah 28:9 says as much: "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
" Just as Hannah brought Samuel up to the temple just after he was weaned, God desires that children are brought to His house early in life; along with the request comes a promise that God Himself will cause understanding to come.
A critical approach to passing your faith on to your children must include prayer; effective and powerful prayer; that said, it is important to know some things concerning prayer.
Ask God to help you with that.
Here are some other suggestions to try as well: • As a parent, invite God to instill in you the habits that would cause your children to also seek the things of God.
• Start thanking God for giving you words to encourage and bless your children.
• Commence a daily routine of praying over your children and your relationship with them.
• Begin today to encourage them in God's love.
One of the reasons God picked Abraham to be the father of Israel was that God knew Abraham would command his children and his household to keep the way of the Lord: "For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment.
" This same sentiment from Genesis 18:19 is echoed in Proverbs 22:6 as God instructs all parents to operate as Abraham did; to train up their children in the ways of God.
As Proverbs 22:6 goes on to state, there is a great promise in godly instruction: when children grow up they will not depart from the things of God.
These two scriptures state an important biblical truth: parents are to set the example for their children to follow.
If you want to pass your faith along to your children become an example to them.
God has provided His own illustration of how to do that in Deuteronomy 11:18-21 by stating: "Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.
" These scriptures reveal that God wants parents to teach their children biblical ideals.
That means parents must learn some things about God! Become an example! Make the effort to attend a good biblically based church every Sunday; begin to immerse yourself and your family in the things of God regularly.
Remember this, your children will emulate your actions; if you place little importance on church attendance now, your children will place even less importance on church attendance later.
Ephesians 6:4 gives parents clear instruction that they are to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
In other words, parents should instruct the children in the things of God and set good examples for them.
Gill's commentary puts it this way: "instructing them in the knowledge of divine things, setting them good examples, taking care to prevent their falling into bad company, praying with them, and for them, bringing them into the house of God, under the means of grace, to attend public worship.
" As a parent, are you doing those things? While it's never too late to start initiating godly habits, it is God's will that such behavior begins while children are young, and Isaiah 28:9 says as much: "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
" Just as Hannah brought Samuel up to the temple just after he was weaned, God desires that children are brought to His house early in life; along with the request comes a promise that God Himself will cause understanding to come.
A critical approach to passing your faith on to your children must include prayer; effective and powerful prayer; that said, it is important to know some things concerning prayer.
Ask God to help you with that.
Here are some other suggestions to try as well: • As a parent, invite God to instill in you the habits that would cause your children to also seek the things of God.
• Start thanking God for giving you words to encourage and bless your children.
• Commence a daily routine of praying over your children and your relationship with them.
• Begin today to encourage them in God's love.
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