Children are a gift from God and the bible says blessed is he whose quiver is full of them. If our children are gifts from the Lord, then it is our responsibility to discern, develop and deploy those gifts in them. Every child carries a gift for a particular purpose.

It is our duty as parents to help our children discover their gifts. The best way to discover these is by connecting them to the creator Himself and raising them to be who He has called them to be.

Raising Godly children does not happen by only church attendance. It is also important that we know our children are not Christians by default because their parents are Christians. They need to know and experience God from an early age, and it is our responsibility as parents to introduce them to God. A good example is Hophni and Phineas who were Prophet Eli’s sons. Though raised in the temple they were badly behaved and had no respect for the sanctuary. They ended up dying young on the battlefield. Samuel was raised in the same temple, but was introduced and dedicated to God from an early age. God was pleased with him and called out to him. He learnt to recognise God’s voice and went on to become the prophet and spokesman for his nation.

Let’s unpack some benefits of raising Godly children:

It helps them to build a strong identity

Christianity is not a religion but a lifestyle and knowing their Identity in Christ helps our children to build a resilient faith that helps them to be grounded in knowing right from wrong and choosing life over death. Unfortunately, this does not mean that some of them will not derail, but their identity helps them to retrace their steps just like the prodigal son who came to his senses and the realisation of his identity.

It brings joy & honour to the family

Teach a child the way they should go and they will not depart from it. Godly children bring joy and honour to their parents. The good thing about parenting is that children are like sponge and they soak up what they are taught and what they observe. The rewards of raising godly children is realised when they achieve well and are successful in life. So don’t relent in your efforts, payday is just round the corner!

Protects our posterity and legacy

The truth is that it doesn’t all end here. The legacy of Christ needs to be passed on to the next generation – to our children’s children. The genealogy of Christ himself reveals a lineage of men and women who loved and served God. They went down in history for their relationship with God. There’s nothing as cool as seeing our children having a great relationship with Christ, experiencing the Goshen factor whilst living in Egypt.

It distinguishes them.

The story of the Hebrew boys resonates with this. King Dairus requested that they search for young men who are fit to serve in the palace (Daniel 1). They were looking for young sharp looking, well-groomed men of intelligence. They wanted young men who are well behaved, of good character, intelligent, well-informed, gifted, with charisma and a spirit of excellence. Yes, the world identifies the qualities Christ has bestowed on our children which is why they covert their gifts. Knowing Jesus sets them apart.

It reassures us that all will be well with them.

The knowledge that our children have been raised to know Christ gives us the confident assurance that all will be well with them when we are not around and they get to crossroads in life. It gives us the hope that they know who to turn to when in trouble and in times of need. It reassures us that that the spirit of God in them will help them make the right decisions. Joseph refused to sleep with his master’s wife because he feared God. His destiny would have been truncated if he did, but he made the right choice and eventually he was heralded to the palace.

In introducing our children to God, here are a few things we could do:

• Teach them how to study the Word
• Teach them how to pray
• Teach them how to exercise faith
• Teach them how show respect for things of God
• Teach them how to promote the kingdom of God
• Teach them how to sow to God and give to the poor.
• Teach them about love

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a few pointers that could help us in our parenting role.

Ultimately, benefits of raising Godly children cannot be overemphasised in the world that we live in today, which is why we have to be deliberate and intentional about it. The rewards are phenomenal as we benefit, the children benefit, and ultimately the kingdom of God benefits – a win-win for all.