‘“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.’ Exodus 20:12(NLT)
‘“Honor your father and mother, as the Lord your God commanded you. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.’ Deuteronomy 5:16(NLT)
‘A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction.’ Proverbs 13:1(NLT)
‘They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. ‘ Romans 1:30(NLT)
‘So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ‘ Galatians 6:9(NLT)
‘Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.’ Ephesians 6:1-4(NLT)
‘Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. ‘ Colossians 3:20(NLT)
Any person who has children can tell you that parenting might very well be the hardest job in the world. If you are a Christian parent, the work does not get easier because you want to raise your children to honor God. The Scriptures tell the parents to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. The Scriptures also tell the children to obey their parents, which does not always happen. Disobedience adds to parenting being difficult. With the tension between the encouragement of the Scriptures and the reality of life, how does one become a godly Christian parent?
First, parenting is a lifelong endeavor. You are a parent for the rest of your life. You parent your children while they are under your roof. And you can still counsel them after they leave your house. Once you become a parent, you never stop being a parent. It is an ongoing effort, so you need patience, diligence, and endurance. You have to stay at it. You must do the right thing day in and day out. You must be kind to your children whether you had a good day at work or not. You must love them daily, continually and consistently.
If you want to teach your children something, you must invest time into it. So if you want your children to play a musical instrument, you cannot just take them to lessons for several months and then let them quit. You need to invest years of encouragement, finances, and time into this activity. The same goes for sports. Of course, this is also true about spiritual disciplines. In other words, if you want your children to love the Lord, you need to pray together frequently. You need to study the Bible together regularly. You should go to and serve in a church together. Parenting is a long-term commitment.
The Bible promises us that we reap what we sow as long as we do not quit. This is especially true with parenting. We cannot expect immediate results with our children. We cannot raise microwave Christians. Raising godly children takes time and patience. Actually, it takes a long time and a lot of patience. The fruit, however, is most rewarding.
from How To Be A Good Christian Parent