If your desire is to help your children develop a personal relationship with Christ, here are 3 important ingredients to remember:
- Make the Scriptures central to your daily lives
Nothing holds the power of God like the Word of God. Read it together. Discuss it together. Memorize it together. Post it in your home. Pray it over your children.
When your children have important decisions to make, point them to what the Bible says. More than they need your opinions, counsel them directly through the truth of Scripture to guide them into right decisions. Prioritize the Scriptures in your home. - Give Christ preeminence in your home
Make much of Jesus in your family. Help your children understand that we are Christ-followers before we are rule-followers. Remind them that everything in our family and in our lives is to point to Jesus.
This is why we pray together. This is why we serve one another. This is why forgive others. This is why we strive to be like Jesus. Because He is our focus. He gets first place. It’s all about Him! Regularly remind your children of this. - Teach and exemplify a personal walk with God
Children are the great imitators, so give them something great to imitate.
“The greatest guarantee of children who will have a personal relationship with God is for them to be raised by parents who do.”
Teach your children by example what it looks like to be a student of the Word, to make decisions based upon Scripture, to walk in the Spirit, and to allow your faith to shape every detail of your life. Because faith is more often caught than it is taught.
Nothing you pass on to your children carries more weight than this.
It’s great that you’re a Christian parent, BUT it’s even greater if you’re leading your children into a lifelong, personal relationship with Jesus.
Andrew Linder @churchleaders.com
