ens their faith and aids their spiritual growth. Our spiritual values will be their standard. They will see whether our emphasis is on money and gadgets or not. If we set supreme store by the Christian way of life, they will note it and be influ enced by it. As Christian parents, our chief ambition is to please the Lord, not ourselves. Our money and homes we hold in trust for the Lord. We spend our money to meet both physical and spiritual needs. We are careful never to be extravagant or use it merely to keep up with the neighbours. These prin ciples will be our children’s guide in their use of money. Difficulties and trials come to all of us. When we look to the Lord for guidance and wisdom, our children too will learn to take their problems to Him. We help the spiritual growth o f our children as we make Christ the Head of the home. God’s plan is “ that in all things [Christ] might have the pre eminence” (Col. 1:18). Many homes have a Christian motto hanging on their walls. One frequently used is this : Christ is the Head o f this house; The Unseen Guest at every meal ; The Silent Listener to every conversation. A friend tells us that this motto had its place on one wall of her childhood home. Its presence made a great impact on her life. The family was a large one and frequently boisterous. The members of the family had all the usual difficulties and trials. Yet, she tells us, the atmosphere at home showed the presence of the Lord. Whether we have the words on the wall or not, we must live according to the principles they teach. When Christ has pre-eminence in our lives then all other things take their right and proper place. As our children find that we honour the Lord in all things, they will follow that lead, at least in part. The family altar plays a large part in our chil dren’s spiritual growth. As the family meets to gether each morning (or evening) for its daily serv ice, there is a continuous spiritual help. We begin with the moment’s silence that sets the tone o f our devotions with a refreshing sense of God’s pres ence. The portion from the Bible, a story when the children are younger, teaches them what God has done for His people over the years. The child learns that such love is extended to him today. Turning from God’s speaking to us in His Word, we speak to Him as we pray. We choose one or two subjects and look for answers. Relations and friends who have special problems, as well as neigh bouring families, are specially mentioned. So our children see that Christian love looks out far be yond personal needs. Our own needs are not overlooked. We need
by Gordon Chilvers T O LIVE a r ig h t IN THIS WORLD, our children need a strong faith. Only when their spiritual growth has equalled their physical and mental growth are they ready to meet the world successfully. We as parents can take a large share in their spiritual growth. They are growing up quickly and we need to act at once. We help their spiritual growth by both uncon scious and conscious influence, for home is the place where the greatest influence comes to them and for the longest time. Each year they spend only about 150 hours at church at the most; 1,000 or so at school, but 5,000 or more at home. What is more, we are with our children in their formative years when impressions will not easily fade from their memories. We influence them by the way in which we live and act. Children, bom imitators, will copy us for good or ill. So natural is it for them to copy us that often neither they nor we see its being done deliberately. When father and mother never break a prom ise even when it is difficult or costly to keep it, children will learn more easily to keep theirs. When we are honest in filling out our Income Tax forms, our children soon will discover that honesty is im portant. When as parents our precept and example agree, our children feel safe. Such safety strength
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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