A Christian father puts God first by obeying him wholeheartedly, teaching his kids to honor their parents, and building simple spiritual habits into everyday family life. Most Christian dads would say God is number one, but our calendars and priorities don’t always agree. Parenting is like everything else: when God comes first, the rest falls into place.
Put God First, and the Rest Falls Into Place
The first of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before me” (Deuteronomy 5:7). Jesus said the same thing in a different way.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
This is the first parenting principle every dad needs. Kids don’t need a perfect father, but they do need a father whose life clearly revolves around God. If sports, work, money, or comfort quietly take first place, our kids will notice, and they’ll likely follow our lead.
Obedience Starts With Dad
Before Moses gave Israel instructions for their families, he reminded parents of their own responsibility.
Deuteronomy 6:1-3 These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.
Notice the order. Parents obey God first, and then teach their children and grandchildren to do the same. Obedience isn’t just a rule for kids. It’s a way of life for the whole family, and it leads to blessing.
Teach Your Kids to Honor You
Paul repeated the fifth commandment to children in the early church.
Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
The command to honor parents is a bridge between the commandments about loving God and the ones about loving people. When kids learn to honor and obey their parents now, they’re practicing the same heart posture they’ll need to obey God later. That’s why a dad’s leadership matters so much. (For more, see How Do We Put God First as Parents?)
Make Faith Part of Everyday Life
God’s plan for passing faith to the next generation is surprisingly ordinary.
Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
It starts with a dad who loves God with all his heart. Then it spills over into normal moments at home, in the car, at bedtime, and at breakfast. Here are a few practical ways to put God first as a family:
- Build your own habits. Read the Bible and pray on your own. Your kids need to see your faith is real. (See What Are the Spiritual Disciplines?)
- Pray together. Pray at meals, at bedtime, and when problems come up.
- Talk about God regularly. Set aside a weekly family talk time using a short article or Bible story.
- Make church a priority. Show your kids that gathering with God’s people matters.
Next, we’ll look at the second parenting principle: how to discipline with love.
The Takeaway
A Christian father puts God first by obeying him wholeheartedly, teaching his kids to honor their parents, and making faith part of everyday family life. When God comes first in your home, everything else falls into place.
