The 10 Commandments of Parenting- I

1.

Thou shalt be a Believer.

"They said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'"

Acts 16:31

I can't imagine undertaking a task as huge as parenting without some divine intervention. It's a tough job!


Most things in life are simpler when you're a Christian. Not necessarily easier, but usually less complex. Take parenting, for example. If you're a Christian, parenting by God's word, you have a plan of action all laid out for you. You don't have to re-invent the wheel. What should I teach my kid about religion? What do I tell him about pre-marital sex? How do I reassure him about death? It's all in the Book. If you're not using the Bible as your parenting manual, it can be a much more confusing, fly by the seat of your pants operation.

When you're a Christian parent, you have the benefit of all the resources in God's storehouse. You've got a God who, at the end of a rough day, says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28); a God who promises that wisdom is yours for the asking (James 1:5); a God whose name is "the Lord will provide" (Gen. 22:14); a God whose eyes "...move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His." (II Chron. 16:9).

Finally, when you're a Christian parent pursuing holiness in your own life, God is working on you to make you more like Him: more loving, more joyful, more peaceful, more patient, kinder, better, more faithful, gentler, and more self-controlled. (Eph. 5:22-23) What parent couldn't use some help in all those areas?