Bible Text: Proverbs 24:3-4 | Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words | King Solomon tells us that through knowledge our homes can be filled with rare and beautiful treasures. Isn’t that an interesting thought! Here it is in Proverbs 24: “By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures” (verses 3 and 4).

Personally, I believe there are no treasures more valuable in our homes than those of Christian values—the morals we seek to convey to our kids. No rare antique in your house ever compared with having kids who love God.

Of course, if we’re ever going to be successful at conveying Christian values, we’re going to have to model the message and live a consistent Christian life ourselves. Do you remember the first command God gave us—to love the Lord with all your heart and soul and strength? That’s found in Deuteronomy chapter 6. In the very next verse He follows that by saying that His commandments are first to be on our hearts. Then He tells us we are to impress them on our children. But note the order: first ourselves, then our children. You can’t teach your child something that is not first a reality in your own life.

Your example is so powerful. Anna Mow, a missionary to India, once said, “Kids can argue with your words and disagree with how you do things, but they cannot argue with Christ’s life lived out before them.”

If you’re discouraged with trying to convey Christian values to your kids, never underestimate the power of prayer! Personally, when words bounced off our kids’ ears, I saw more positive results through prayer than anything else. Bible teacher J. Sidlow Baxter wrote that people “may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, and despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.”

There is it: two thoughts about values: first, model the message yourself. But never underestimate the power of prayer!