The greatest principle to impart to your child is that of love for God. To the question of what the greatest commandment was, the Lord Jesus replied,

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, To Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:29,30).

Encourage your child to love the Lord and the church. Take him to Christian meetings. What you expose your child to is what he will grow up to be. Expose him to the church and the Bible. Let him develop love for the Word of God. It will pay high dividends. This is the foundation of all principles. Pray for wisdom to instill God’s love in your child when his heart is still tender, and before another object vies for his love.

The greatest thing in your life is your heart. So is it with your child. Mold his heart. Shape his heart to love God. A time will come when his heart will not be as tender as it is now to love the things of the Lord. Reach him first with God’s love in his heart before the love of other things begin to set in and clamor for his attention. This is not only the greatest heritage but also the greatest legacy you can leave for your child.

This is achieved through constant teaching. This topic will be covered under the chapter on Family Devotions. But next to the teaching is your own life-style. As a matter of fact, your child will imitate you. He is more interested in what he sees or observes than what he is told. While a daily dose of the Word of God will help him tremendously, it can be counteracted by your own careless behavior.

Create An Inviting Atmosphere At Home

Make your house a home where your husband will want to come to. Tidy the house the best you can. Let the bedroom be the neatest. But the best way for creating the good atmosphere is your attitude. Welcome him home with joy. Ask him how his day went. Show interest in his daily activities. Men tend to be headliners. There are times when you ask him questions, and the answers may be restricted to yes or no. Then be more specific. Exercise discretion. If he is too tired to talk, do not insist. At least, show him that you care. This is the essence.

When you show that you care, it is easier for him to want to come home knowing that someone is waiting for him with listening ears at home. The result is that he looks forward to coming home.

If you are working, then some adjustments may have to be made. You have to put him in consideration. If you are going to be late from work, call him. If you know you will be late, then make arrangements for his dinner. Although he may be able to cook, and should cook at times, the responsibility for his food is on you. If you want him to be the husband of your dreams, then you too, need to do your part. Give him a nice breakfast. Breakfast, medical science tells us, is the most important meal. Let him go out with good thoughts of you.
Of course, if you need help, you could ask him to help. But remember, it is your primary responsibility. If you can, cut down on your time at work. I said if you can, not that you must. There are situations when this step may be good, although in other circumstances, it may be impossible and unadvisable. But the idea behind it is that you should sow into your marriage, even if it reduces your pay. It is well worth it.

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In essence love her.  When she is good, love her.  When she is not so good, love her.  When she is beautiful, love her.  When her beauty, for some reasons, becomes marred, still love her.

When she obeys you, love her.  When she doesn’t, do not withhold your love and concern.  When she is perfect, love her.  When she makes mistakes, assure her of your constant love.

When she is healthy, love her.  When she is sick, let your love be the soothing balm that will bring speedy recovery.

If she bears your children, love her.  When she cannot, let your love be more than that of ten sons to her.

Love her in the morning.  Love her at noon.  Love her in the night.  Love her in sunshine and in the rain.  Love her in winter and in summer.  Love her when all is well; lover her when all is not well.

In short, love her at all time and under all circumstances.  Let her know this fact under all circumstances.  Let her know that whatever happens you will never stop loving her.  This is your duty as her husband.  Nothing less will suffice.  That was your promise to her at the altar.  Keep it.

Friendship

You are in love with this person. You have agreed to marry each other. One of the criteria to consider is your basic friendship. Do you like to be in this person’s company from day to night? Are you happy when you are together, or is it one argument after the other?

 Kathy was in love with Kenneth. She was sure that she loved him. Whenever he was not around, she longed to see him, but no sooner would they come together than they would begin to argue. They had one argument after the other. Kathy could not stand Kenneth’s deceptive attitude. He was always lying to her, which she would discover later. She was not too thrilled with his pettiness, either. She felt a man should overlook some things done against him. But not Kenneth.  He was the sensitive type of person. Kathy was not. Even though she was not very sensitive, she felt emotionally drained from being around him.

 The relationship eventually ended. Emotional hurts ensued. Years later, Kathy still believes that she made a wise decision to have ended the relationship. She has no regrets even after being able to look back at it. Yes, you may be in love, but your friendship is at a low level. If, before marriage, you are fighting all the time, getting on each other’s nerves, why expect marriage to change that?

 Maybe you are willing to wait for a long time for your partner or yourself to change, but such chances are slim! Mind you, in marriage, there is no breathing space. You sleep together and wake up together. Before you know it, you will find yourself cringing at the thought of going home from work because of the unhappy situation that awaits you.

 A home that is supposed to be a place of rest and joy has become a place of terror and tension. The Bible asks the rhetorical question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3) To have a lasting marriage, you should agree. You should love each other’s company and cherish moments together.

 There is even no guarantee that while you enjoy each other’s company now, the pattern will continue after marriage. If such possibility exists, what chances do you have if you are always fighting now? Think about this.