Parents have a great responsibility to teach, train and nurture the precious gift of God -- our children. They need to come to know God not as some far off person, but one that they can relate to in an intimate way.

The Scripture I will start with may seem unusual, but let's see how the Holy Spirit leads us today.

"I have made Thy name know to them..." John 17:26 (This is Jesus speaking to His Father in what we know as Jesus' High Priestly Prayer.)

What name? They, the people of the Old Testament, knew His name: YHWH, Jehovah, Almighty God, Lord. So what name did Jesus make known to His disciples?

He made know the name Father. In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus uses 'your Father'
or your heavenly Father' eleven times when talking to is disciples. To know God as 'your Father' you must be in a right relationship with His Son for, "...no one comes to the Father but through Me (Jesus)." John 14:6

That right relationship means to 'believe in [trust in, cling to and rely on]' Christ Jesus, but the natural man is at enmity with God and with the only One through whom we can know Almighty God as our Heavenly Father. Therefore, it takes the work of the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts; to make us desirous after God.

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
John 4:24. Natural man, born of flesh, is not able to do that.

Therefore, John 3:3; 5-6 tells us,
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'" Vs. 3 "Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'"
Vs. 5-6

But more than revealing the name Father, Jesus manifested the name.
"I have manifested Your Name [I have revealed Your very Self. Your real Self] to the people whom You have given Me out of he world."
John 17:6 The Amplified Bible

Remember when Philip said to Jesus, 'show us the Father'? What did Jesus say in reply?
"...anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father." John 14:8-9 To know Christ Jesus is to know the Father!

Did you notice that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all were involved in our salvation? -- that we might be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:14

In Deuteronomy 6:7 God gave parents an awesome responsibility, "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up."
(This is God's commandment to teach the Law in the Old Testament; we as Believers are to teach Christ who is the fulfillment of the Law, to our
children.)

It is an awesome responsibility to be a parent! Let us all stand together parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and fellow Christians on behalf of the children whose only safe place is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us pray that God will early on draw each one unto Himself.

So let us encourage our children and ourselves to join with the Apostle Paul as he says, "...I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus" Philippians 3:12 (I pray that this be our fervent desire.)

Thank you Lord for Your precious gift, our children, given in love. All praise and honor to our gracious God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit! Amen