Raising Children Who Love the Lord
By: Vivian Bricker
“As for parents, don’t provoke your children to anger, but raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, Common English Bible).
For many people, they become parents after they are married. Since both the husband and the wife are now parents, they have to decide what parenting style they are going to use. While this is unique to each couple, it is important to note that it is essential for every Christian couple to raise their children in the Lord. Part of raising them in the Lord means that their children will begin to love Him.
Parents have the responsibility of teaching their children about the Lord, His love for them, and how He died on the cross for their sins. This can be hard to teach to small children; however, parents should take comfort in the fact that their children don't have to place faith in Jesus right away. They have time, therefore, don't be discouraged if your children don't place faith in Jesus before they are ten-years-old. Children mature at different ages and it is best to allow God to control the issue at hand.
It is never good to force your children into believing in the Lord because their profession of faith will most likely be fake. Sadly, many children ministries and Vacation Bible Schools (VBS) give children special treats or prizes when they place faith in Jesus. This is not biblical because the gift of placing faith in Jesus is just that—Jesus. Jesus is the gift, not a fancy dessert or a special toy. As you are beginning to raise your children, try to remember this and not push your children into making a false declaration of faith just to win a prize or to impress you and your spouse as their parents.
When you are in your daily life, try to model Christian behavior to your children. Help them to know how important Jesus is in your life and how you want to serve Him. Even if children don't understand this right away, they will grow to learn more as they get older. By having family Bible time and prayer time, your children will also see the importance of spending time with God. It is a beautiful thing to grow up in a Christian home and your children will best benefit from this blessing by having you show them Jesus’ love, talking with them about Him, and modeling His character in your life.
If your spouse is a Christian like you, then there should be no reason why they would want to raise their children in any other way. Your spouse should want your children to come to know Jesus, to learn about Him, and to place faith in Him when they are ready. If your spouse has a problem with this, it might be time to have a sit-down talk with them and discuss the issue at hand. There is no reason why your spouse should have a problem with raising your family as Christians and helping your children to love the Lord.
If your sit-down talk turns into a heated debate, it might be time to take a break and turn to the Lord. He will be able to guide your steps and instruct your heart. Your spouse also needs time to cool down and think about the issue at hand. It could be your spouse had a bad experience being raised in a Christian home or they could be struggling in their faith. Allow them time to process these feelings and reunite together to talk things over again. God will be present with you both and help your hearts to decide what to do going further.
The Apostle Paul tells us, “As for parents, don’t provoke your children to anger, but raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, Common English Bible). From this passage, we see that Paul is telling parents to not provoke their children to anger. Instead they are to raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord. By doing this, it will help raise your children as individuals who love the Lord. Follow the outline presented by Paul in Ephesians 6:4 and it will help your parenting journey.
Rather than causing your children to become angry, extend love, compassion, and understanding to them. You need to discipline them when they are doing wrong, but you should never hurt them physically or with your words. Discipline them in the Lord and allow Him to bring conviction into their hearts. Instructing your children in the Lord can be done by teaching them about Him, reading the Bible to them, and answering any questions they have about Him. By doing these things, it will lay a solid foundation for your children to come to know the Lord and to love Him.
“Dear Jesus, please help my spouse and I to raise our children in accordance with Your will. We want our children to love You and to bring Your Name praise. Help us to not provoke them to anger or to embitter them. Instead of doing these things, help us to raise our children with discipline and instruct them in Your Name. I give You all the praise. Amen.”
Related Resource: 3 Simple Ways to Feed Your Spouse More Praise
How often do you intentionally stop to praise your spouse? To recognize and affirm their character or actions? Many of us probably cringe at answering these questions because we know we could do better! If you struggle to feed your spouse praise regularly, this episode is for you. Listen in as we share some practical steps we all can take to criticize less and affirm and build up our spouse more. If this episode helps your marriage, be sure to subscribe to Team Us on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode.
Originally published Thursday, 28 August 2025.
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