If fathers are smart, they seek the Scriptures and start looking for Bible verses about parenting responsibilities. That’s because God’s Word is a father’s instruction manual for every aspect of life. No matter if we’re facing a newborn for the first time or sending our kids off to college.
I can remember the feeling of pride, amazement, and utter terror I felt when I held my first child just minutes after his birth. If you’re a dad, you’ve been there.
Honestly, I didn’t immediately call for a Bible in the delivery room; but in my heart, I knew I’d need the kind of guidance only God’s Word can provide. I would spend the rest of my life learning and applying Bible verses about a parent’s responsibilities.
Powerful Bible Verses You Can Apply
Look for Bible verses about parenting responsibilities that give you practical wisdom. It’s helpful to consider how some of the general commands of Scripture apply to our lives as parents. Those are great foundational steps to learning and applying Bible verses about parenting.
For example, you can start with the “one another” verses. We’re told to live in peace with one another (Mark 9:50), accept one another (Romans 15:7), serve one another (Galatians 5:14), forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32), and, of course, love one another (John 13:34-35). Those are general biblical guidelines for all of our relationships.
Well, if those truths apply to every relationship, they certainly apply to our connections with our kids. As parents, we’re called to live out the “one another” verses toward them just as we would anyone.
Those general commands—the ones that fit every relationship—are a great place to start living out Bible verses about a parent’s responsibilities.
5 Bible Verses About Parenting Responsibilities
General commands are great springboards into the Bible’s more specific commands about our parental responsibilities. In the list below, I’ve identified five specific Scriptures related to our job as parents.
As with any list of biblical instructions, you’ll probably be stronger in some than in others. That’s all right. We are all spiritual works in progress, what I like to call “masterpieces in the making” (see Ephesians 2:10). You don’t have to be perfect, but this list will help you evaluate where you are and figure out how you can do a better job applying Bible verses about your parenting responsibilities.
1. “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” —Deuteronomy 6:6-7
This Bible passage about a parent’s responsibilities emphasizes the importance of teaching your kids God’s ways. We all want our children to be successful, but all the material success in the world is wasted if they miss out on a personal relationship with God. It’s our biblical parenting responsibility to teach them God’s ways and to guide them toward a life rooted in Him.
2. “Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it.” —Proverbs 22:6
This verse about parenting responsibilities is all about discipline. Let’s be honest: None of like discipline, whether we’re giving it or receiving it. But the Bible—especially the book of Proverbs—is really clear about what happens when we ignore discipline. It leads to disaster, so it’s not a responsibility we can skip. Thankfully, God’s Word shows us how to fulfill that biblical parenting responsibility well.
3. “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they won’t become discouraged.” —Colossians 3:21
This verse—and its companion verse in Ephesians 6:4—challenges us to make sure our kids feel secure. It also reminds us of the power of our words and actions. When we belittle our children, we drain their sense of security. That leads to a loss of trust and peace of mind. Sure, we all get angry at times and make mistakes, but that should be the exception, not the rule. We need to be our kids’ biggest cheerleader, not their harshest critic.
4. “But if anyone does not provide for his own family, especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” —1 Timothy 5:8
Along with meeting our children’s spiritual and emotional needs, we’re also responsible for their physical needs. Now, this doesn’t mean we have to oblige their every whim or go into debt buying them stuff. But we do have a biblical responsibility to provide the basics: food, shelter, clothing, education, and so forth. To drive this point home, Paul told Timothy that anyone who rejected this biblical parenting responsibility was worse than a pagan. That’s pretty strong language because this is a vital command.
5. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren.”—Proverbs 13:22
Of all the Bible verses about a parent’s responsibilities, this one is most likely to keep me up at night. I think a lot about the legacy I am leaving my kids—and, now that I’m a grandfather, their kids. Most scholars agree that the context of this particular proverb is financial stewardship, but we have to remember that legacies go far beyond anything we write in our wills. Our greatest legacy involves faith passed down from generation to generation. That’s the greatest inheritance we could provide, and we’re building it (for better or for worse) right now.
The Clock is Ticking
I once had a boss who was fond of saying, “There’s hope as long as you’re still sucking wind.” In other words, as long as you have breath in your lungs, you can make important changes in your life. In this case, every heartbeat is an opportunity to learn and apply these and other Bible verses about a parent’s responsibilities.
But the clock is ticking. Life is a limited-time offer, so you need to make the most of every moment. If you’re doing great in all these areas, that’s super. Keep it up and keep growing. If you’re struggling, commit to doing whatever it takes to embrace your biblical parenting responsibilities.
It’s a decision you will never regret.
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