Being a parent

In this article, John Piper posted a list of things we should be doing for our children as believing parents. While I don't pretend that this list is all inclusive, I don believe it is more than enough to keep me busy as the parent of 4 children. I think it is easy to focus on our job to teach and hold accountable our children to doing the things God requires of them and to train them in the way they should go. Sometimes we forget or maybe avoid some of the items on this list. I know I have some work to do. The list is after the jump......

* Let there be much spontaneous celebration verbally of every hopeful sign of life and goodness in our children.
* Let us forgive them often and be longsuffering.
* Let us serve them and not use them.
* Let us lavish them with joyful participation in their interests.
* Let us model for them the joy of knowing and submitting to the Lord Jesus.
* Let us apologize often when we fall short of our own Father’s requirements.
* Let us pray for them without ceasing.
* Let us saturate them with the word of God from the moment they are in the womb (the uterus is not sound proof).
* Let us involve them in happy ministry experiences and show them it is more blessed to give than to receive.
* Let them see us sing to the King.
* Let us teach them relentlessly the meaning of the gospel in the hope that God will open their eyes and make them alive. It happens through the gospel (1 Peter 1:22-25).