Kingdom Grandparents

“Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:1–9).

Grandchildren are the crown of old men, And the glory of sons is their fathers (Proverbs 17:6).

Grandchildren are typically one of the great joys of the life of any grandparent. Grandparents often thoroughly enjoy even small amounts of time talking to, interacting with, and having fun with their grandchildren.

Simply seeing them, watching them play, and listening to them share their hearts is often a very fulfilling pastime for many a grandfather or grandmother.

Yet one very important goal that almost every Christian grandparent is very much wanting to see happen with every single grandchild is this: a desire that all of their grandchildren come to know Christ and be saved.

One way for any Christian grandparent to genuinely influence their grandchildren for today and for eternity is this: be what I would call a kingdom grandparent.

What is a kingdom grandparent?

A kingdom grandparent is one who is seeking first the kingdom of God for each of their grandchildren. In other words, a grandparent who is seeking, with Holy Spirit wisdom, to affect the lives of their grandchildren now and for all eternity.

The following are some goals that I believe a Kingdom Grandparent would be wise to pursue for his or her grandchildren:

1. Pray daily for each grandchild by name. I would suggest that you get a prayer notebook specifically for the purpose of writing the name of each grandchild and writing prayer concerns for each of them.

Pray for salvation for each of them. Pray that God will send someone into their lives who can effectively reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Pray for them to become diligent students of the Word of God. Pray that they will read the Word of God every day.

Pray for each one to become a real prayer warrior.

Pray that the Lord will bring into their lives strong Christian friends who will encourage them in their faith.

Pray that the Lord will help them steer away from persons who would be bad influences.

2. Call them at least every other week and ask how you can pray for them. Write their prayer requests down and diligently pray for those matters.

Ask them to read Scripture for you over the phone and send them a cash incentive or other reward for reading for you. One goal behind this is for them to become really motivated to read the Word of God.

3. Give them gifts that are seeds that point them to the Lord. Give gifts like a Bible, a Truth for Youth New Testament, maybe Christian novels, etc.

These are simply a few ideas for a grandparent to consider.

Keep in mind that being deliberate about doing these kinds of things is very important. They typically don’t happen by accident.

We want to help each of our grandchildren spend all eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus.

Clearly, we know that they are each more than worth these few sacrifices we might make on their behalf.

(Editor’s Note: Grandparents Day this year is Sunday, September 7, 2025. It’s celebrated in the U.S. on the first Sunday after Labor Day.)

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