10 vital Bible verses for parents

The home is one of the best (and toughest!) places to make disciples. Parenting is a high calling whether you’re a Christian or not—but if you’re actively trying to make disciples of your kids, you’ve got a huge task before you. The good news is that Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is useful for training in righteousness (2 Ti 3:16), which means there’s plenty of help for parents in the Bible. Unfortunately, the Bible verses that would be especially helpful to parents are spread across all 66 books. That makes it a little tough to track them down. But parents should use the Word to make disciples at home, and this list is a good place to start.

I’m not a dad, so I sat down with my mother-in-law to see which Bible verses were especially vital to her as she raised (and homeschooled) five kids. We pulled together 10 passages to encourage, equip, and challenge parents.

Enjoy!   by Jeffrey Kranz

Below are the second 5 verses.  If you would like them all, go to; https://disciplr.com/parenting-bible-verses/

Proverbs 3:12

For the LORD reproves him whom he loves, As a father the son in whom he delights.

Discipline isn’t fun for any parties involved, but Solomon says that both God and the good parent will discipline the children they love.

This verse is encouraging, but challenging. It’s encouraging because it shows that parental discipline is a mark of love. It’s challenging because the way you discipline your children may influence the way your children think of God’s love and discipline.

Deuteronomy 6:6–7

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Moses gives this command to the children of Israel as they are about to enter the promised land of Canaan. He is about to give them a long set of rules for how to love and obey God in the land they are about to possess. The land is supposed to be an inheritance for Israel generation after generation, and so God’s law must be passed down through the generations, too.

Notice how Moses tells parents to talk about the Word of God. It’s not relegated to bedside prayers or after-dinner devotions. It’s something that should be intentionally talked about throughout the day.

What does that mean for parents?

Be intentional about talking to your kids about the Bible. Study it with your kids, and bring it up throughout the day.

Ephesians 6:4

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

This one may sound like it’s calling dads out, but Paul has also just told children to obey their parents in the Lord (Ep 6:1). But why is Paul giving parenting advice?

When we zoom out and look at the book of Ephesians as a whole, we see Paul telling the church at Ephesus how to walk in a manner worthy of their calling (4:1). He later encourages them to follow Christ’s example of walking in love (5:2).

Paul addresses friendships, marriage, and work relationships in this part of the letter, and in the middle of it all, he takes time to talk to fathers and children. This is how parents and kids will walk in love with one another in Christ. Children obey parents. Parents don’t exasperate the kids.

But there’s another nugget in here: Paul tells kids to obey their parents in the Lord, but how will they know what the Lord wants? The parents should be teaching them. Paul says that parents shouldn’t just foster loving relationships—they should be raising kids in the ways of the Lord.

Colossians 3:21

Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

This is a sister verse to the one we looked at in Ephesians. Here, Paul tells us why it’s important for parents not to provoke their kids: they will discourage them.

But what does Paul mean by “provoke?”

In this sense “provoke” means to challenge, or to irritate. An example would be the so-called “helicopter mom,” who “hovers” over her kids at all times. Another example would be the father who is never satisfied with his son’s performance in school, sports, work, etc.

This verse cannot be taken too seriously. When Paul says, “discouraged,” he literally means “to lose heart.” Training children is important—but needs to be done in a way that does not cause them to lose heart.

Psalms 127:3

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb a reward.

If you have kids, you’ve been blessed!