Rarely would any person develop a taste for either sour pickles or vegemite later in life. But if introduced to either one in childhood, they have the appetite for it the rest of their lives and view it as perfectly normal to eat. So it is also true with the Word of God. It is essential we facilitate our children developing an appetite for God from an early age, particularly in the home.

Parents are generally clear when it comes to their responsibilities toward their children. They teach the differences between right and wrong. They provide for physical needs such as food, clothing and shelter. They strive to meet emotional needs by demonstrating love and offering encouragement. Most parents personally sacrifice in order to provide more for their kids. Parents tend to be their children’s greatest advocates, fans and supporters.

Godly parents do each of these things, plus they also have the added dimension of being deeply concerned about their children’s spiritual well-being. They are convinced that their children need to develop, not only a “working” knowledge of God, but also a personal relationship as well.

Nurturing this relationship takes several forms. It can include taking the kids to church and church-related programs, teaching them to pray, reading the Bible to them, and having talks about spiritual matters. These things are worthy means by which to aid in our children’s spiritual development. However, there is something else I believe is of vital importance: a family time of worship in the home.

In decades and centuries past, family worship was not so often neglected but instead was one of the most important aspects of home life. I am particularly struck by the emphasis the Puritans of the 17th and 18th centuries gave to this subject. In his 1679 work “The Duties of Parents,” Jacobus Koelman writes, “Bring your children to God and teach them how they must serve him throughout their whole life … nurture them in the knowledge of divine things and for faith and godliness.”

In “The Case for Family Worship” (1694), George Hamond gives a presentation of the Bible’s case for family worship. He argues persuasively that if families are not spending time in worship at home, children will be more likely to find corporate worship irrelevant. He maintains that if we take the time to “catechize” our families and worship with them beyond Sundays, they will understand how worship is to be found in all of life.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The source for this document was originally published on bpnews.net—however, the original URL is no longer available.]