Obligatory? Yes, But for the Best Possible Reason 

Are preachers obliged to talk about motherhood on Mother’s Day and fatherhood on Father’s Day? While these holidays are bound in the Bible, the fact is, we don’t hear enough about the importance about honoring Fathers and Mothers or about the sacred work they do.

As I write this, mobs are rioting in Los Angeles, California. I am not overstating the case to claim that Godly parenting would have prevented it. Respect for law and order and concern and care for others begins at home. As the home goes, so goes the nation. The old adage, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world” is rooted in the ancient and immovable truth that good citizenship begins with moms and dads instilling right thinking and respectable behavior in their children.

A responsible father who sees his child among the lawless will do something about it. Where are those fathers? Where are those mothers?

But I remind myself that LA is just one city. How many cities are not seeing what they are seeing there? How many communities are peaceful because order is enforced at home?

If you enjoy such peace where you live, I can assure you that it is in large part due moms and dads (and grandparents as well) who are fulfilling their responsibility to provide guidance to their little ones. Good parenting results in good citizens.

To raise good citizens, however, is the least we should do. By far the greatest ambition of parents is to lead their children into being citizens of heaven itself. To do this, we must first instill in their young minds that the only real reason for doing what is right in every situation is Almighty God. His standards should be our standards.

To be sure, all worthwhile parenting principles can be traced back to one profound teaching of Jesus, and that is that God’s kingdom and his righteousness are our greatest purpose. But more than that, his kingdom and his righteousness are his greatest gifts.