The Importance of Training Up Your Children in The Lord

Importance of family devotionals

The Bible charges parents to “train up” their children (Proverbs 22:6). It is not the responsibility of a church, a pastor, grandparents, or some other institution. This is an area all Christian parents should feel compelled to create an environment that encourages faith to flourish and grow within the walls of their home. Training up a child is multifaceted, including: didactic, application, and prayer life. The focus of this post is on the didactic or teaching portion of a parents’ role. While we are confident that the Holy Spirit ultimately works to draw all men unto Christ, I want to communicate the influential role we, as parents, have on our children. The best method of teaching anything is to model the desired outcome through your own actions. We have all heard the saying, “Walk the talk”. Let your actions and speech emulate Christ, therefore fostering these characteristics in your children. 

How you choose to spend your time is important. Is church a priority to you? Or, is reading your Bible something you routinely take part in? If not, it likely won’t be a priority to your children. A simple gauge is reflecting on the type of dialogue that goes on within your home. Do you talk more about things of this world rather than your faith in Christ?

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Matthew 6:19-21

What our family does during devotional times

Abby and I would always incorporate age appropriate conversations and devotional times, but more recently, we have increased the frequency of these intentional interactions now that two of our children have developmentally reached the capacity for read-aloud literature and discussion of application. The kids look forward to this time together as a family. Every night after showers, teeth brushing, and pj’s, we all make our way to the living room to begin our didactic teaching time as a family. We sit around the room, preparing to reflect on the good and not so good moments of the day. As their primary instructors, we ask each child how their day went and what they could do better with the following day. Mom and dad, you aren’t off the hook on this. Sometimes, it’s necessary to apologize for the tone or the handling of a situation. Being transparent and humble is healthy. From there, we read a passage from either their children’s Bible, a devotional that we are using, or something small we prepared to share. 

Just recently, Abby had a great idea to go through each fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-25) while incorporating a little coloring and drawing time to reinforce the evening topic. We stayed on the same fruit for multiple nights. Changing up how you conduct your devotional time can be a great way to keep kids engaged while learning.

Prayer is the most transformative practice you can engage in as a family. We end every night the same way, with each member of the household taking a turn to pray. Each child’s prayer is so precious. There are times Abby and I look at each other holding back laughter, ear to ear smiles, or even tears. It is a beautiful thing to see our children grow. It is even a greater joy to see their understanding of the Bible and Jesus grow. Prayer can be guided. It is important to teach your child how to pray (thank God, repent of sins, express the desires of your heart, and listen) but we also allow for the child to go off on his or her tangents, reinforcing the concept that we want them to be continually talking to God all of the time, we want to foster the practice of spending time with God in prayer just like you would spend a time with a friend or loved one in conversation. God is always ready to talk, and we must always be ready to listen.

Make the investment in your family

My prayer is that this post would encourage readers who are parents to devote dedicated time to training up your children in the Lord. Go from being passive or inconsistent to actively making a point to instruct and teach your children. If you’re doing the work already, keep disciplining your home. You’re raising the next generation, it is not always going to be easy but it’s well worth the investment!

Lastly, below are some books that we have used and that our children have enjoyed. If you have used other books and would recommend them, please share them in the comment section! If you and your family do something different during devotional time, share it in the comment section below for the next reader. Our family is always looking for new books to read and different ways to engage our children. Thank you for being here. Live a Maverick Life today.

• Roar Like a Lion: 90 Devotions to a Courageous Faith
• Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids About God and Science
• Action Bible
• The Biggest Story Bible Storybook
• Little Pilgrim’s Progress | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
• Fruit of the Spirit
• Armor of God
• Sophia Children Book Series
• The King and the Dragon
• The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New