Practical Ways to Bring Up Your Children in Christ
by Evans Hodges and Mike Young
Raising children in the Lord doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the product of steady faithfulness that shows up in the home long before it shows up anywhere else. The goal is never to produce a perfect child, rather continuously point their hearts and minds to a perfect Savior. Today, we’ll walk through simple practices that can help set a tone in your household that echoes Joshua’s words: “As for me and my house, we will worship the Lord. (Joshua 24:15).
(Enjoy battle-tested tips from Mike and his real life experience!)
- Read the Bible With Your Family Consistently
Make Scripture part of the daily rhythm throughout the week at your house. Keep it realistic to their capacities. A short passage and a brief prayer can still carry real weight over time. Let your kids hear the Word spoken in your living room, at the table, or before they go to bed. Create a culture where Christ is consistently present in your house.
Mike’s Battle-Tested Tip: Stacy and I sometimes read directly from the Word and discussed it but we often mixed things up. For a season, we applied scripture to moral challenges using a book called Sticky Situations. As the kids got older, they were reading devotionally on their own and I would read current event articles to launch biblical worldview conversations at the dinner table. The conversations were rich and robust!
Link to Sticky Situations: https://amzn.to/4bnhSiW
- Make Church Attendance a Priority
When gathering with other believers becomes the norm, they start to see corporate worship as something to do because God is worthy, not just because it’s convenient or because you feel like it. Showing up and being involved regularly also puts them under teaching, prayer, and friendships that shape them in ways you can’t do at home. Even when mornings get messy, your steady commitment sends a message that being involved in a local church is important.
Mike’s Battle-Tested Tip: Church attendance was a priority for us! Our church expects kids to worship with their families once they start school. It was great fun to sit together on the row and encourage them to pay attention and take notes. Stacy sat on the end of the row so she could focus. I sat on the inside and managed the kids. Honor your wife and teach your kids in this way. Let them see you engaging the message and taking notes. Talk about it on the way home!
- Allow Your Children to See Christ More Than You (1 Cor. 11:1)
Your children don’t need to see a dressed up and perfect person who never makes mistakes. They need to see Jesus in front of them. Let them see you repent, forgive, and choose obedience when it costs something, because that’s where real discipleship gets lived out. The point isn’t to draw their eyes to you, but to your submission to Christ. They will ultimately imitate you before anyone else, so it is best that you imitate Christ.
Mike’s Battle-Tested Tip: Don’t be a do as I say not as I do dad! Your kids are watching your every move. They will know you well. This is a lot of pressure. They will mimic your habits, your speech, your reactions. So, beg God to help you live as a worthy example before them and be quick to confess and repent when you fail. You will! Remember, their relationship with their earthly father will help shape their relationship with the Heavenly Father.
- Seeing Them as God’s Child and Your Stewardship
It changes your parenting when you remember your child ultimately belongs to the Lord. You’re not the owner, you’re a caretaker with a responsibility to guide, protect, and teach with humility. That mindset helps you hold your plans a little looser and pray a little harder about who they’re becoming. It also steadies you when you’re tempted to parent out of fear, pride, or control.
Mike’s Battle Tested Tip: 2 Corinthians 4:7 says “But we have this treasure in jars of clay,” some versions say “earthen vessels.” Paul is speaking of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in us when we submit to Him. I understand this, but often when we put our kids down for bed I would thank God for the treasure of a sweet soul in a little body that had been entrusted to Stacy and me to raise for his glory. Truly, he had give us “treasure in little jars of clay.” The responsibility is great. Step up the the challenge and delight in the journey.
- Offering Yourself as a Sacrifice for Them (Rom. 12)
Parenting in Christ calls for a daily self-giving that often goes unnoticed and gets no applause. Sometimes it’s time. Sometimes its patience. Whatever it is, you should constantly be putting aside your own preferences, so you can serve what your child needs. Over time, those small sacrifices will teach your children what Paul tells us in Romans 12 and what Christlike love looks like.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Mike’s Battle-Tested Tip: It’s easy to say you’d take a bullet or step in front of a runaway car to save your family. It could happen, but you probably won’t have to put your physical life on the line for your family. The more important question is this, will you “die to yourself” for your family. Will you say no to the golf outing, or the promotion, in order to be a present and engaged dad for your kids. Will you give up the habit or change your schedule to meet there needs? Even now, I’m trying to eat better and get more exercise, so I can live longer to be available for my family.
- Prepare to Shoot them Out to Better God’s World
Look beyond just raising kids who can behave while they’re at home. Start forming and training up a child who can serve faithfully outside of it. Teach them to stand firm in their convictions, instill a good work ethic, cultivate generosity, and to care about their neighbors more than themselves. Little by little, you’re not just keeping them safe; you’re preparing them to be shot out to make a difference in the world.
Mike’s Battle-Tested Tip:
“Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth” (Psalm 127:4)…
If the Lord has entrusted children to you (or if you have the privilege to invest in young folks in some way) you play a role in crafting straight and sharp arrows. Arrows held close in a quiver will not accomplish their potential. Arrows were designed to shoot. So you must launch the arrows prayerfully expecting them to fly straight and true and accomplish their Kingdom task. Remember, the goal is to raise adults who are ready to play their assigned role in the Kingdom. Delight in every phase of their development and in their launching. Pray like crazy and trust God with them. He loves them more than you. All four of our kids are now “launched” and living in different states. We miss them mightily, but we delight in the journey God is leading them on. Now, Stacy and I get to invest in other parents and their kids. We look forward to each opportunity to spend time with our children and grandchildren, but we also take great joy in pouring into other young parents and their kids. We all have Kingdom assignments.
Start where you are, keep it simple, and stay steady. By God’s grace, your small, ordinary choices can leave an extraordinary imprint on the next generation and the world around us.