Comments about the life of God permeate all of Scripture. It is, after all, the “living and active” Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), given life by the living God who gave it to us. In Genesis, “the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (2:7). David wrote, “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9). In the first words of his Gospel, mirroring the first words of Genesis, John says of Jesus, who is God incarnate, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:4). Paul says that Jesus “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).

As you can see, in many passages throughout Scripture about the life of God, the light of God also shines. The first words of God are “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), for without light there is no life. David says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1), the One who saves his life. Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, pro- claimed, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12). In his first epistle, John says, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Paul admonishes believers, “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8, ESV).

So when we give our children God’s life, we are also giving them His light. It is the light of God that will shine in our hearts and our homes so that we can be a beacon of hope to the world around us. From a personal perspective as parents who love our children, life- giving parenting must first be about helping them find eternal life in Christ and getting them on God’s path so they can live in a way that’s pleasing to Him.

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We are so happy to share a podcast we did with Glenn and Holly Pakiam. Glenn is one of the pastors of New Life Church and Holly has been a friend and fellow Whole Heart ministry friend for many years. She runs Storyformed for us and does an excellent job writing about the best books and authors. Many people said one of their favorite podcasts was one that Glenn and Holly did a while back. You will love their heart for their 4 children.