Acts 21:8–9: “On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.”

April 18th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Paul and his companions traveled to Caesarea Maritima on the beautiful Mediterranean seashore, the seat of the Roman government in Israel. Philip is the only person in Scripture who is called an evangelist, and most expositors believe that it was here, while staying with Philip, that Dr. Luke recorded what Philip had done in Acts 6 and 7. We notice that Philip was a successful parent as his 4 daughters were filled with the Holy Spirit and had all received the gift of prophecy. According to the early church historian Eusebius of Caesarea, “the daughters lived to a great age and were highly esteemed.”

After our own personal service to God, raising our kids to serve Him is the next most important job the Lord has given us. We are not only to teach them on Sunday about the Lord, but we are to daily live out our faith before them in such a way that they cannot but learn how to live life for Him. Even if you do not have children by birth, every believer should be involved in the lives of the children around them, being an influence for the Lord in their lives.

I love the simple but insightful story of parenting by a former major league baseball superstar. One day when he was a boy, he and his friends with his father were out in their yard playing baseball. They played there regularly and the grass had really taken a beating as a result. It didn’t look very good anymore, unless you were a kid looking for a great place to play baseball. But this day, as the kids and the father were playing and having a great time, the boy’s mother leaned out the window and called, “Can’t you guys find somewhere else to play? You’re killing the grass.” The husband paused and then answered his wife, “Honey, we aren’t raising grass, we’re raising kids.”

“LORD, help us to pass on to the next generation a love for You and Your word.”