What is the importance of Christian values? Values alone are principles we see as important things to follow in everyday life. Christian values are principles established by God that we aim to walk out in everyday life. There are values, morals, and beliefs all throughout Scripture that ultimately become a blueprint for living a life pleasing to the Father and good for the believer.
One of the easiest ways to teach anything to children is to lead by example. Children are learning all of the time, which means whether you are speaking or not, your actions will always be a silent teacher. Another way is to use examples, especially from Scripture.
Finally, speak of the values you want to teach often. Bring them up naturally as they are shown or the opportunity presents itself to expand.
No matter how young your children are, you can begin instilling God’s Word and character in them. It doesn’t have to be forced but can become a part of how life is naturally lived. Below are several Christian values to teach your child.
Gratitude is a value we see all throughout Scripture. This value can be seen linked to all other values as well as the fruit of the Spirit. When children learn to be grateful, they will be able to experience true joy.
The lack of gratitude can open doors for the enemy to get into our children’s minds and make them think happiness is found in materialistic things and worldly desires. When our children live from a place of gratitude, they are satisfied with all God gives them.
Children naturally want to please us. They will sometimes go out of their way to get our attention and seek approval. They’ll also do it to gain the watchful eyes of others. Becoming a person filled with good integrity starts young.
Teach your children how to live for the approval of God, not men. Remind them that real integrity is doing what’s right, especially when no one is watching. There are always opportunities to fashion this value.
Modesty isn’t just for girls. It’s also for boys. Whether you are raising daughters or sons, both should be taught that their bodies are a temple that should be used to glorify God. This can be in the form of how they dress, how they speak, and how they treat themselves.
Another perspective of this value is teaching our children how to treat the opposite gender. Girls should be taught how to respect boys and vice versa. These types of lessons will follow them throughout adulthood and into marriage.
This virtue is the root of being able to fully give and receive love. When left incomplete, unforgiveness can turn into everything opposite of love – anger, envy, resentment, and the like. Children are certainly met with lots of opportunities to exercise forgiveness, especially if they have siblings.
Although it can be seen as one of the more difficult values, it’s very important to show them how to do it (so make sure you’re doing it, too!).
Faith is the very essence of Christian belief. Without it, how can we truly say and show that we believe in God? Teaching your children what belief is and how to depend on it throughout life is monumental to their spiritual walk.
And it doesn’t stop there. We must teach them not only to believe in God but to also trust Him. As they grow older, they’ll begin to build their own testimonies of how believing and trusting in Him got them through circumstances and situations.
In this challenge, you will be given a list of virtues to pray for your children each day. It is totally free and will include a daily prayer based on Scripture, as well as additional Scriptures to reflect on and personalize into prayers for your children.
My prayer for you and your family is that you’ll be given the desire and drive to train your children in the way that they should go. I pray that when you are speaking and praying the Word over your children, it will not return void and accomplish what it was meant for. Our commission as parents is big, but we serve a God who is bigger, willing, and able to help us every step of the way!
