The Scriptures call us as parents to not provoke our children to anger, but to raise them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). We should know that this is both formal and informal. We are to do this as those who sit and read the Scriptures and discuss them, praying together and singing together. We are to also live in such a way that what we instruct is also how we live (Deut 6:4-9). This is our calling!

This does not replace the church. We must be a part of a local assembly, showing humility by submitting ourselves to godly leadership and serving the body (Eph 4:1-16; Heb 13:17).

For the formal aspects of discipleship I would recommend you use something like Bruce Ware’s book Big Truths for Young Hearts. In it Dr. Ware does a great job of explaining the truths of Scripture in a down to earth and bite sized way. For you as parents, wanting to learn what it means to formally and informally instruct your children I recommend Shepherding Your Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp. Tripp also has other volumes that are helpful in this area. Here is his Amazon page.

More than instruction to any of you who read this, this is a reminder to me of my responsibility as I seek to honor God through the rearing of my children. Parenting is a joyful, heart wrenching, complex, wonderful and exciting venture. I have enjoyed my 12+ years of it and it really does become more of a joy as the days go by. I know that there are always times when I wish I had done better and those time will still come. I know there were times when I was disappointed and that those times are still to come. If parenting has taught me one lesson over and over again, it is that if I can be disappointed in sin and be grieved over it when my kids continue in it, yet I love them still, and at that imperfectly; how much more does my Heavenly Father, who has loved me infinitely, though I know I can grieve him, continue to love me perfectly.