Godly Parenting
What Does God's Word Say?
In the culture that we live in, we can see that everyone has the best top ten tips for everything. When we stop and look we can see that on social media everyone has their own thoughts on what it means to be a parent. Instead of immediately going to the bookstore and getting the best three books on this topic we should, as Christians, stop and read what God’s Word says to us as His people. One text that we really need to be reminded of today comes from Moses. As parents who are called to raise up our children to know God and His Word, we must spend time looking over this text. We need to let His word speak to us and direct us.
““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Be The Example
When we first read this text, we tend to think of how to teach the law to our children. One of the problems with this is that we forget to think about its implications for us. The spiritual temperature in the home starts with us as the leaders. If we do not love God and set an example of this in our home, how could we expect or hope that our children would? It is known that the wife of Charles Spurgeon, Susanna, said that when he prayed for his family they knew that God was listening. Charles Spurgeon said,
“Happy is the household where the altar burns day and night with the sweet perfume of family worship!”
Paul reminds Timothy in 1 Timothy of the fact that his grandmother taught him the things of God. Family worship has to become an important event in our homes. It could be a song or two from YouTube, a book that you as the family read together, and prayer. Keep it simple but yet pointed to Christ and the gospel. A great book to help you see the need for family worship and some “how to’s” is Family Worship by Donald Whitney.
Dear parents, may our hearts have a passion for our children to love and serve God over being good soccer players or children who can do math well. We should pray that God moves in us so that he would move in our children. Pray that our children would not just know God’s Word (intellectually) but that they may truly KNOW God’s Word (in their hearts as well). When we hold our children this should be our prayer.
To the parent of a child who is far from the Lord. God is faithful and knows your pain. He knows what you are walking through. He has placed godly men and women around you to walk through this hard season and pray with you. Surround yourself with these people and do not walk through this alone.
A few months ago I was able to baptize my son who is 6 years old. It was such an amazing moment for me as well for him. I remember sitting in his rocking chair as a baby praying for God to rescue my son. He showed me that he did. Today I am doing the same thing for my 10-month-old baby girl. I desire God to rescue my children and show them Christ who is a better father than I am.
If you want to be a godly parent then you must love God first. Second, you must share all of God’s Word and have family worship with them on a regular basis. Lastly, get on your knees and beg God to reveal Himself to your children. This sounds like a short list but we as parents should feel the weight of what God calls us to do.
Matthew Hampel
Matthew is a husband to Kimberly and a father to Levi and Piper. He has a associate of divinity and a bachelor of biblical studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the host of the Pastor Dad Podcast.