God says through the prophet Jeremiah, “Is not My word like a fire? And like a hammer that breaks the heart to pieces?” God’s word is the seed by which he brings His people to saving faith. God’s word is the lamp to our feet and the light to our path. During all my years of deep and dark rebellion, the Lord would bring to my mind the Scripture that my parents had faithfully taught me. It was the fact that it was in my mind from my childhood, that enabled it to work in my heart during my time of wandering.

When God gives us children, He entrusts to our care little eternal beings. Each one of them will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell. There is an unparalleled sobriety that rightly accompanies such delegated responsibility.

We often fail to properly prioritize our responsibilities. Our jobs are not eternal; our houses are not eternal; our cars are not eternal; our bank accounts are not eternal; our health is not eternal; but our children are eternal. The time that we have with them is short. My wife reminded me the other day that we only have so many years left before our oldest will be out of the house. I remember holding him in the hospital right after she delivered him like it was yesterday. God only gives them so many years in our homes.

It is for this reason that God charges Christian parents to take seriously His call for us to spiritually instruct, nurture, admonish, discipline, protect, provide for, prepare and bring our children up to be among those who will know, love, fear and follow the Triune God (Eph. 6:1-4). To that end, here are several practices that we can put into place to help ensure that we are moving in the right direction of being faithful stewards of these little eternal beings. 

1. Have your children in weekly, Lord’s Day worship at a theologically solid church.

Perhaps the greatest thing you can do for your children is take them to the most biblically faithful church you can find (within close proximity to your home, of course). Have them in weekly Lord’s Day worship with you from their earliest of ages. Don’t be quick to shove them off to a church that will keep them out of the corporate worship service until they are fifteen.

Having your children in the weekly worship services teaches them to love expository preaching, singing praises, public prayer, confession of sin, assurance of pardon, the sacraments, fellowship, church discipline, etc. Having them in the gathered Assembly helps them breath the air of these things on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. If you choose to “do church at home,” go golfing on the Lord’s Day, lounge around because you need a day to yourself, etc., you can be sure that the little eternal beings God has entrusted to your care will follow suit. 

Living the Christian life with your children in the local church is also the best way to teach them where God’s Kingdom is primarily manifested in this world. It is in the local church that the kingly rule of Christ is most fully made known. It is in the local church that the men God has called to shepherd the flock will come alongside you in His call to bring your children up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

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