What specific things should parents tell their children that they would like to see the Lord do in lives of their children?

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When David charged Solomon about building the Temple, he included this remark to him:

1 Chronicles 22:12 Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.

After David’s death, Solomon prayed a great prayer to God that has strong conceptual parallels to what his father had spoken to him earlier:

2 Chronicles 1:10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?

A comparison of 1 Chronicles 22:12 with 2 Chronicles 1:10 seems to show that David’s earlier statement to Solomon may very well have played an important role in shaping Solomon’s thinking so that at a crucial moment later in his life he prayed along the lines of what his father had said to him previously.

In this way, these verses instruct us about the potential beneficial effects of telling one’s children what a parent would like to see the Lord do in the lives of his children. What are some specific things that parents should tell their children that they would like to see the Lord do in the lives of their children?

Discussion

This may be a little obvious but I would think it important to emphasize the fruit of the Spirit.

[josh p]

This may be a little obvious but I would think it important to emphasize the fruit of the Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is something that is certainly vital.