Proverbs 22:6 says, 

Train up a child in the way he should go,

Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I love spending time with my kids teaching them something important for them to learn. I try to teach them what the Bible says and how to obey God. I’m sure you do, too. I try to teach them through example. I’m sure you do, too. I also try to teach them just in general how to do things. I’m sure you do, too

It may seem obvious, but in this culture in which we live, it merits repeating: A father is not JUST a parent. He is a male parent who contributes essential things to his child’s life and development that is unique as a father. A mother can never replace what I father can do in a child’s life and a father can not replace what a mother can do. 

It is one of the most influential lies that the devil wants to use on us; that moms and dads are interchangeable and replaceable. So what is it that fathers should specifically concentrate on in building their children’s healthy development? How shall he train up the next generation?

  • Train up the next generation to work hard. 
  • Train up the next generation to respect and be gentle with women. 
  • Train up the next generation to respect authority. 
  • Train up the next generation to soak up opportunities to learn and better themselves. 
  • Train up the next generation to learn to ask for help. 
  • Train up the next generation to admit when they are wrong. 
  • Train up the next generation to go with the flow. 
  • Train up the next generation to adapt well and work with others. 
  • Train up the next generation to accept what they cannot change and to change what they can. 
  • Train up the next generation to pick up after themselves and be clean people. 
  • Train up the next generation to give their best efforts. 
  • Train up the next generation to love and show compassion and forgiveness towards others. 
  • Train up the next generation to be humble and trust in the Lord. 

These are just a few that I believe are important. 

I have not mastered these and I am certainly working on several to be better at training up my kids. But its’ a good start. Imagine if we all work would work on these things in our own lives. Not just training up the next generation but implementing these principles in our lives first. It might make a big difference in our families, churches, community, and cultures. 

Train up the next generation by starting with ourselves and our own kids.

I love you,

Alex