God will hold us responsible for how we tended to, used, and cultivated His children - the children we have born (well, our wives have born) are God's, and they are supposed to be His heritage.
Check out Psalm 127. What an amazing psalm, one that I cannot say I have personally experienced to the end of the psalm, since I have not been blessed with children. Perhaps that is why I will sometimes be hard on guys who forsake their children, or take for granted what God has given them.
I think it's one of the heaviest responsibilities that God gives men to bear. Yet remember fathers, He doesn't expect or ask us to do it alone. But, and if, in the power of His Spirit, we simply listen to Him; HEAR from Him; and then do what He asks of us, the way that He asks us to do it, then the thing gets done with such little effort. It's not much different than other things He calls us to do. Same principle. We've all likely been there. If you do things your own way, or do your own will, things get hard and filled with strife; you get warn out - it's hard to kick against the goads, isn't it?
But with children, there's more at stake, I think, just because they are living souls with spirits that God wants to quicken and He wants us, who know Him, to lead them to that place of quickening. We can't save them (only He can), but we can prepare them and lead them by teaching them the way they should go.
In all this, it isn't some "work for God's favor" thing. It's the fundamental attitude that we perform His will because we know it's perfect and always the best for us, and especially because we love Him so very much - with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. What father, in his right mind and with God given new heart can ever love his child less than himself? None.
And when our children see this... When they SEE the Spirit of the Living God in us, and resting upon us, and when they SEE the ease with which we walk on this earth, they may think it odd at times, but it will stick with them. And that, along with our consistent, and unrelenting intercessory petitions to our God on their behalf, will bring about their salvation and reconciliation to our God in God's perfect timing. There is no doubt that He will do this thing!
Praise Jesus Christ!!