The Purpose of a Godly Parent
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. ––Psalm 127:4–5
As a parent, you have a very important purpose in the life of your child. You are there to teach them right from wrong, provide for them, and lay a foundation in their life. Most importantly, your job is to lead your child to Jesus Christ.
Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a heritage from the LORD.” The word heritage could be translated as “gift.” So another way to say it is: children are a gift from God. What a great privilege it is to have children. I will tell you something else: kids need their parents.
Kids need their parents to nurture them and point them to Christ. It is your job as a mom or a dad to train your children and to bring them up in the way of the Lord. Kids don’t need Mom and Dad to be their best friends. Sometimes you read about celebrities that go out and party with their children. That’s so absurd. Don’t do that. Be a parent—and be an example. Friends come and go, but parents are for life.
Remember, teaching your children is a daily thing. It is a lifestyle. The best thing a man can do for his kids is love his wife. And the best thing a woman can do for her children is love her husband. Show your children what real love looks like.
And live a godly life. Your child should be able to measure their relationship with God according to their relationship with you. My son Christopher once told a friend that he knew he was right with God when he was right with his dad. He said the thing that brought him back to Christ was knowing that I loved him unconditionally and that he could always go home. And he did come home.
If you are a parent, ask God today for His help to be the best parent you can be.
Copyright © 2017 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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