Why is having a godly relationship with your children important? Most people would agree that strong families are built on healthy relationships. Trust, respect, and accountability are strengthened when family members invest in one another and cultivate an atmosphere of togetherness. Having godly relationships, however, instills a love for the Lord and His word and takes the family unit to a new level of intimacy. In this blog we want to share 4 reasons why having a godly relationship with your children is important:
1. It plants seeds of faith. The Bible says “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)
Readers often mistake this proverb as an unbreakable promise. However, it is a divine precept as guidance for parents. Although you cannot force your children to believe in God, you can impress on them the things of God. You share seeds of faith with your children when you share biblical truths that cultivate a godly relationship with them.
One way to do this is to have regular bible devotions with your children and make reading scripture an integral part of your family. This author writes: “Give them their own bible even before they can read. Read to them from it at home and have them take it to church services (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). In their preschool years have them begin a lifetime habit of regular memorization and review of important bible verses.” (Psalm 119:11, 16)
You can easily access God’s word online (gettingtoknowyourbible.com). Free biblical studies online can help guide you and make it easier to share the word with your kids. As you plant seeds of faith remember that you are providing opportunities for your children to come to know Christ.
2. It instills accountability. Your children need to know that they are accountable to you as well as God. This helps your children see that you are making decisions for them based on God’s commands. This instills in them a healthy sense of accountability and spiritual encouragement.
It is especially important to “practice what you preach,” and display your own accountability to God. The author of this article suggests you “live Christ before [your children] so you will be able to talk of Christ to [your children].” Accountability is one of the main reasons for having a godly relationship with your children is so important. It requires you to be doers of the word and not hearers only. (James 1:22)
3. It deepens your child’s sense of security. It is good to support your children in academics, sports events, and other childhood activities. However, it cannot replace the time spent praying, worshiping, and reading the Bible together.
Your kids need godly instruction. They need guidance on how to pray. They need truth in a culture that is constantly feeding them falsehoods. Having a godly relationship with your children builds their sense of security in Christ. Investing in them spiritually settles tough issues about their identity and purpose in life. Moreover, the absolute truths from God’s word provide direction in a world that has blurred the lines. Think about your own insecurities and how the Lord gives you the confidence in Christ to live and move and have your being. (Acts 17:28)
4. It is obedient to God. The Bible says, “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.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)
Perhaps the best reason to have a godly relationship with your children is obedience to the Lord. It is easy to become complacent in godly matters. However, establishing a godly relationship with your children is of utmost importance and requires intentional time to nurture that relationship. Charles Spurgeon once said: “Let no Christian parents fall into the delusion that Sunday school is intended to ease them of their personal duties. The first and most natural condition of things is for Christian parents to train up their own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
While it is easy to rely on the church to teach your children, it is your responsibility to establish biblical training at home. Once you make it a priority, it will become the foundation for the entire family. Author Eric Lyons asks these important questions regarding each family member’s faith: what does God hear in our prayers and in the prayers of our children? Does he hear from us at all? Does he hear from a family who wants only to get their “Christian duty” over with? Or, does he hear those who really want to honor him and communicate with him respectfully, sincerely and specifically? Developing a godly relationship within your family unit starts with each person cultivating their own relationship with God and then allowing the overflow to pour into one another.
Let GTKYB guide you. If you are wondering how you can have a godly relationship with your children, then you have come to the right place! We provide resources for those who simply need a little help along the way. Please contact us if you have any questions. We would love to connect with you!