5 Biblical Principles to Teach Your Children

As a parent there are so many things that we must teach our children. How to bathe, how to brush teeth, how to eat with utensils. But those are just the basic things, aren’t they? What about all of the really important principles that we should be teaching our children? Who is going to teach those to our young people?

If you are a homeschool mama like me, you may realize that this enormous responsible falls our your shoulders. But please, do not let that sway you from instilling these valuable lessons on your young disciples hearts. Thankfully my pastor, Dr. Randy Locke, is a wise man and he shared his understanding of these principles a few weeks back with us. I wish I could share his entire message but alas, I can only share my notes. I pray that I do justice to his wise words and that you find some wealth in his words too.

Principles for Your Children

Teach them to love God.

• Faithfully obey the Lord with everything you have. “And it shall be that if you earnestly obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 11:13
• Fix God’s word on their hearts. “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Deuteronomy 11:18
• Teach the Bible to them, all of the time. “You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 11:19
• Holdfast to the Lord, at all times. “For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do – to love the Lord your God, walk in His Ways, and to hold fast to Him . . .” Deuteronomy 11:22

Teach them to pray. 

• “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
• “I LOVE the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1

Teach them to tithe.

• Tithes. This always seems to be such a sensitive subject for many. But it is not a commandment or even a must. The Lord doesn’t even say it is a condition. He simply says decide, then give with a cheerful heart. “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudginyly or of necesssity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

Teach them to forgive (you and others).

• There is nothing like teaching your children about forgiveness. They learn to be forgiving by being forgiven. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you must also do.” Colossians 3:12-13
• As parents we must ask forgiveness for our mistakes, this is how we can help them understand that forgiveness is more for them than for the other person. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matthew 6:14 AND “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:26

Teach them that the Bible has a solution for every problem.

• “For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Proverbs 2:6. Most of the Book of Proverbs has to do with problem solving; it offers suggestions on what not to do to avoid problems.
• Psalm 121 is called the Song of Ascents (ascents: upward movement; as from the lower to the upper) and verse one opens like this, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills – From whence comes my help?” and verse 2 states plainly, “My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.”
• “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:19

This is but a tip of the iceberg that our pastor talked about. Ultimately, these are principles that will help ground and root your children in the love and holiness that is our heavenly Father. Teaching them diligently is our job and we must take this job as seriously as we take cleaning the house or attending church.

In His Grace,

Callie