Is there a minister at your house? The apostle Paul wanted elders in the church who could also minister the gospel to their own households.When I suggest to fathers that they are to be ministers to their families, they tend to shy away, thinking I mean they have to be accomplished theologians and do a lot of eloquent praying before meals. But that's not what being a family minister is all about.
By being there and making your family a priority, you'll find plenty of opportunities to minister to your children by showing them what's really important in life. I'm learning to take advantage of the "teachable moments" when my kids are open to spiritual truth.
Years ago I was cuddled up next to our daughter Ashley on the lower bunk at bedtime. Somehow we found ourselves discussing the second coming of Christ. I told her, "Yes, Jesus is coming back, and He's going to take all those with Jesus in their hearts with Him, and it's going to be fantastic."
Ashley had received Christ, but she wondered about her brother Benjamin. "When it comes time for him to invite Jesus into his heart, he'll do that," I said.
Benjamin was lying in the upper bunk, and he popped his head over the edge. "Dad, tomorrow would you tell me how to invite Jesus into my heart?" he asked.
So the next day he, too, made a profession of faith. And his very next words were, "Daddy, could we play ball?"
I couldn't know at that time whether Benjamin had made a true, life-changing commitment to Christ. But the fact was that when he was interested, I was there.