Proverbs 20: 7 “The righteous who walks in his integrity; blessed are his children after him.”  I do not know of any man who does not want to see his children blessed after him.  Most parents have a goal that their children live a better life than they have lived.  This is often related to material things, education and career.  However, the most important blessings should be spiritual and eternal.  We often see businesses and professions passed from one generation to the next where children are blessed materially.  Our verse today reminds us that the Christian man (righteous/integrity) can walk in a way that will show up in the lives of his children.

Family habits, traditions, and spiritual beliefs are usually passed from one generation to the next.  If children see their parents and particularly a Christian father of integrity, they have a far greater chance of becoming a Christian and a person who lives in integrity.  They usually follow the example that has been modeled in the home.  This makes the spiritual leadership responsibility in the home even more crucial to a father’s example, role model and walk with Christ.

I will never forget one Christmas when some of my Dad’s grandkids were acting up, rebellious and being selfish.  Dad prayed the following before a meal, “Thank you Father that we have never had any jail birds in our family.”  He was really talking to my brother and me to live a life of Christian example, integrity and child discipline so that none of our own children would fall away and not be blessings.  Or, be in jail.  There are many ways to express an important message and Biblical principle and my father simply used this one statement to make his point.  The message to each of us is to walk in the integrity of Christ every day.  We are to remember that how we walk impacts how our children will walk.  There is no greater blessing that you can give or receive.