We often talk about leaving our children inheritance, houses, education, investments, but the most powerful inheritance you can give your children is the legacy of the worship of the Living God, Yahweh (Abba, Elohim). This worship is not just the singing we do on Sunday. It’s a life posture. It’s obedience. It’s reverence. It’s service. It’s a culture.
Training Children to Use Their Passions for God
Recently, my son Ezekiel developed an affinity for taking pictures. You should see my phone’s gallery, it’s unbelievable how many pictures he’s taken this week alone!
On Sunday after service, while I was speaking with someone, I suddenly heard a group of people shouting “Cheeeese!” I turned around, and there he was again, rallying people for a group picture. 😂
But here’s what struck me… I didn’t just see a hobby.
I saw a seed.
Something that could be watered.
Something that could become a gift to the world and a tool in God’s hands.
So we told him we’d get him a real camera.
Do we have the funds right now? No.
Are we serious about it? Absolutely.
Until then, I offered him my phone, and more intentionally, I handed him over to the head of our church’s media team, who is a pro photographer. Why? Because it’s not too early for him to start serving God. This is our way of saying: Your gift is for God, not just for games and pleasure.
We’re not just nurturing a skill, we’re nurturing a worshiper.
Children Don’t Need to Grow Up First to Be Used by God
Many times, we think our children need to be older before they can serve. Remember:
Samuel heard God’s voice as a child in the temple.
God gave Joseph dreams as a teenager.
David was a boy when God saw a king in him. He killed lions and giants in his youth.
Jesus was only 12 years old when He was found teaching in the temple in Luke 2:41–52. He was found “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions”. Children are not too young to be drawn to the things of God and spiritual hunger and wisdom can show up early when nurtured in the right environment. in fact verse 47 says And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
Our job as parents isn’t to wait until our children are 18 before they discover purpose.
It’s to guide their giftings early and show them that using our talents and serving God where He has planted us is a form of worship
Jesus Christ welcomed children and said, “The Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Mark 10:14). So yes, we bring them into worship. We invite them into prayer. We involve them in service. Not forcefully, not like a burden, but gently. Joyfully. Like it’s a gift, because it is.
And that means:
- If you’re on the ushering team, let your child help greet.
- If you sing in the choir, let them see you rehearse, prepare, worship.
- Let them pray at bedtime.
- Let them cast their offerings
- Let them read Scripture with you, even if they don’t fully understand it yet.
This is how we pass it on, not just by preaching, but by doing life with God in front of them.
Passion Is a Seed, Parenting Is the Watering
Sometimes, all a gift needs is validation. Not pressure. Not perfection. Just encouragement. Just space to grow.
We could have laughed it off. But instead, we said, “We see you.”
We said, “You’re not too small.”
We said, “Let’s serve God together.”
And just like that, a hobby becomes holy.
Your child’s passion might look random right now. But if you’ll listen carefully, you’ll hear the whisper of destiny and steps towards purpose in it.
So, support it. Shape it. Sanctify it. God doesn’t wait till we’re grown to start writing His story.
Sometimes, He starts with a “cheese.”
Worship Is Discipleship at Home (Genesis 18:19)
When God was looking for someone to steward the promise of a blessed nation, He chose Abraham. God saw that he would teach his children to walk in God’s ways. In other words, Abraham wasn’t just a worshipper. He was a teacher of worship. He wasn’t just obedient, he would replicate obedience in his children. And did he? Oh Yes! Read the Genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1 and see just how well the worship of God was passed on from generation to generation despite the imperfections of man.
And that’s the real call for us as parents, not just to know God for ourselves, but to raise children who know Him too.
Our walk with God isn’t just about us. It’s about those coming after us.
It’s about raising children who don’t just know about God, but who know Him.
Children who worship, who obey, who serve, and who carry His fire into their generation.
God wants parents He can trust with children of destiny. Parents who won’t just raise doctors and engineers, but worshippers. Malachi 2:15 says “didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth
Because when worship is in the bloodline, even if a child drifts for a while, they’ll find their way home. The altar will call them. The Word will draw them. The seed will grow.
So today, may we not just raise children who are successful, but children who are surrendered. May worship run through our bloodline until the generations after us carry the fire even further than we ever dreamed.
