The Men of Iron Minute

by Ryan Zook | Curriculum & Content Developer

Train Up Your Child

To be a good father, the best thing you can do is to be a man who knows, loves, and follows God. If you do that, God will honor you and help you with all the other things that can be difficult to figure out.

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” 

This is one of the most popular Proverbs when the topic of a man’s kids comes up. However, this proverb is easily misunderstood, primarily because it is a proverb; it’s a wise saying and not necessarily a promise.

It’s not guaranteed that your children will follow Christ. Many of us likely have kids who are either far from God right now or will, at some point, really struggle with their relationship with God.

This is when it’s essential to understand that all of us are accountable for our relationship with God. God has a plan for us, but at the same time, he somehow gives us a choice to either walk in that plan or reject it.

So, while we do our best to raise our kids and set them up in the best way possible to have a relationship with Jesus, it’s ultimately their decision. And they will be responsible for that decision. You can’t draw your children’s hearts to God. Only God can do that.

But you can be faithful as their father, leading your children to honor God with their lives as God draws their hearts to Himself.  

This means we have to pray for our kids regularly. Asking that the Holy Spirit would move and work in their lives and draw them to Himself, but at the same time, as stewards, we must discipline them and train them in a way that leads them to make decisions that honor God.

If you’re not regularly praying for your kids, I encourage you to start. If you’re unsure where to start, maybe ask your kids. Something like, “Hey, I want to start praying for you every day. What’s one thing that I could be asking God to do on your behalf?” If your kids are younger, maybe you’ll get some interesting answers, and if your kids are older, the conversation might be a little odd at first. But it is a worthwhile conversation to have.

Your kids belong to God, so go to God every day on their behalf, asking the Holy Spirit to move and to work in their lives.  

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