The Bible is clear that parents must raise their children to fear and obey God, as Eph 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Though Paul highlights dads in this passage, the passage should also be applied to moms. Discipline and instruction of children is a shared task, with the father serving as the head of the family.
You might be thinking, “Pastor, I know I am supposed to follow Eph 6:4, but I’m not exactly sure how I do that.” If you’ve ever thought this, I would like to offer some practical tips to help.
Establishing a routine is important. Find a time during the day when the whole family gathers. In our family, this usually happens in the evenings, before the kids go to bed. This doesn’t have to be the time you do it. You can do it whenever works best for you. Once you find that time, stick with it. During that designated time sing, read the Bible, talk about the Bible, and pray. For singing, you can use a hymnal or pull up a worship song on YouTube to sing together. Read the Bible aloud. If you’re not sure which book to read, start in Genesis. Once you’ve finished Genesis, read through Matthew. Once you’ve finished Matthew, read through Exodus. Alternate testaments. Try to read one chapter a day. After reading, ask everyone what they thought of the passage. After a brief discussion time, pray aloud together. In everything, keep it simple.
You can make a profound impact upon your children by implementing these steps. Grandparents, I would encourage you to do the same. The impact that you can have on your grandkids is profound. It’s never too late to start. Don’t think that because your children are grown you can’t do this. You can. So long as we live, God wants to use us in our families.
Pastor Chance
