“If we say we’re believers and followers of Christ, we have to know what that looks like, so we can try to model that in front of [our children] every day,” said Julian Martin.
Two ways Julian and his wife, Rosalynne “Roz”, strive to model Christian behavior for their 10 and nine-year-old sons, Joshua and James, is through honoring the Sabbath and serving as a family.
“Every Saturday, every Sunday–whatever day it is–we make sure [church] is a priority to us,” Julian explained. Additionally, he shared the importance of walking with God every day of the week, not just on Sundays. “Sundays are very important, but every day of the week, we make sure we’re praying and reading the Bible. We have to keep the Word of God in front of them every day.”
Roz explains how they talk about Scripture every day with their boys to “make sure they have God’s Word in their hearts, so they know how to live a life that is pleasing to Him.”
In regards to serving, the Martins try to get involved and include their children whenever they can.
“God has blessed us with resources, so we should use those resources to help others,” Julian said.
“We just make sure to involve them when we serve out in our community. Whether it’s passing out food baskets, or showing up to cut someone’s yard, whatever we can do, we try to do it and involve them because they need to see it. They need to see people in need, and they need to see people helping those people in need.”
By praying together, reading Scripture together, attending church together, and serving together, the Martins explain how everything they do is to follow the command in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
“When they grow old, ‘they shall not depart,’” Julian quotes. “Our parents did this for us, and we want to do this for them– I don’t want them to leave my home not knowing what a godly man looks like– What you’re doing, your children will live out. They’ll model what they see, so you need to do what you want your family to do. You have to lead and lead by example.”
Bellevue wants to help you lead by that example. Fight for Your Family is a new resource that equips families to lay a foundation of biblical truth in the home. For information on Fight for Your Family, visit bellevue.org/family.
Click here to watch a video on how the Martins Fight for their Family.