Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
One day, I came home and asked my boys what they did all day.
They replied, “We were making money.”
Proud of their entrepreneurial spirit, I asked, “Did you start a business? Were you selling something?”
“No,” they corrected me, “We were making money.” Apparently, there was a small counterfeit operation going on in my house.
So I told them, “You realize your currency is worth nothing if there’s no bank to back it.” They weren’t too concerned by this new information as they returned to their forgery.
In life, however, the stakes are much higher. Yet like counterfeit money, our children’s faith is worthless unless the bank of God’s Word backs it. For this reason, fathers, we direct our children to live according to God’s way in all of their habitual choices. Picture them trudging back and forth through a grass field until they have carved a well-worn path. They must habitually walk in the way of the Lord until it becomes a road much traveled.
Godly Example
The first way to instruct your children is by your godly example. Tread the path of wisdom and righteousness instead of folly and sin. Walk in the Lord’s way, and then train your children to follow after you. Instruction occurs not only when your children are in trouble but also at the breakfast table, on the way to school, and during bedtime prayers. Continually shepherd their hearts in the way of God’s wisdom, for the child “who walks with the wise grows wise” (13:20a).
This witness of a well-lived life is more effective than a lecture and more powerful than a thousand books. Your righteous character will bless your children as they learn from you to love God’s Word (20:7). So consider: How is your prayer life? How is your devotional habit and your own walk with the Lord? Choose to cultivate your relationship with God, and the benefits will overflow to your children.
Creative Instruction
Instruct by example, and then also with creativity like Jesus who said, “Look at the birds of the air,” and, “Consider the lilies of the field” (Matthew 6:25-34). In Proverbs, the ant instructs the jobless sluggard (6:6-11), and the loaf of bread instructs the young man hooked on porn (v. 26). The gold ring in the pig’s snout instructs the teen who wears her theology on TikTok hauls (11:22). So also, dads, emulate your Creator as you teach his Word. Creativity brings biblical truth to life so that your children will remember.
Church Community
Instruct your children in community with the help of your church family. A good church will help your children pray, memorize Bible verses, sing praise songs, learn about Jesus, and engage in discipleship. Certainly, God places the ultimate responsibility on parents, but the church can offer much assistance.
So join a church with gospel-centered ministries for children and youth. Take advantage of resources like counseling and mentorship, which support your role as parents. Don’t let academics, athletics, social engagements, or laziness keep you from the loving fellowship of the local church.
Gospel Truth
Finally, instruct your children not only in the whole counsel of Scripture but specifically in the gospel truth. Teach them that God is the loving Ruler and Creator of the world (Proverbs 3:19). Direct them to observe the beauty and the power of God’s creation (Psalm 19:1-6).
Illustrate for them that God is holy as you explain rules like speed limits and bedtime curfews. Remind them that “the eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Weep over the sin of man as you point out the consequences of sin and death around us.
Fallenness, for example, can be revealed in the impatience of a traffic jam or the trauma of a playground fistfight. Death is in the newspaper, at grandpa’s funeral, and a goldfish swirling down the toilet bowl. It is the story of Adam and Eve and every story after. Warn your children about the consequences of their own personal sin, for a fool’s disobedience brings “sorrow to his mother” (10:1b; 15:20b; 17:21, 25) and “a foolish son is ruin to his father” (19:13a; 28:7b). The guaranteed consequence of your children’s sin is spiritual death apart from God (Romans 6:23a).
Most importantly, reveal the truth to your children that Christ is Savior. Tell them the story of the cross in a thousand different ways until it seeps into how they understand the world and themselves. Point out evidences of grace in their life and in the lives of others who are drawing them to Jesus. Help them to see how their own miniature story of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation finds its place in God’s bigger story. Then teach them to repent of sin and believe in Christ.
Fathers, you will have no greater joy than leading your children to Jesus and bringing them up as his disciples. This is successful parenting: To dedicate your children to the Lord, then teaching, training, and guiding them on the path that they must walk. Even if he becomes a famous doctor or a wealthy businessman—even if she wins the Nobel Prize or the Pulitzer, all of that is simply icing on the cake. So may we claim with the apostle John: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, I pray for strength to instruct my children on how to walk in the truth. Remind me to instill in them a love for the gospel and a love for Christ, their Savior. Help me point out evidences of your grace that direct their hearts to you. In your precious Son’s name, Amen.
Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from Hope for New Dads: 40 Days in the Book of Proverbs.