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T h is month let us talk about a young boy named Samuel. Sam uel was a little fellow, a result of the prayers of his dear mother. Isn’t it wonderful to have a mother who prays and cares? This kind of mother brings children into the world that are the subject of God’s grace and love and kindness in a special way. Well, this dear mother, Hannah, wanted a baby boy to give to God. She didn’t want a son just to perpetuate her name, but one who would be God’s servant to Israel. So she prayed and the Lord answered her prayer and gave her this little boy Samuel. We read in I Samuel 2:11, “And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.” This tiny bit of a boy wanted to know God, so he stayed around the temple and listened to the priest teach the Word of God. Even though he was a little lad, we don’t read about his playing football, base ball, or golf, checkers, chess or read ing comic books. Instead, we read here that he ministered unto the Lord before Eli the priest. My, what a boy! Sometimes people think it is abso lutely essential that the little child should have everything else except God. Then Sunday morning for about twenty minutes in a Sunday School class, he hears something about the Bible. Then the rest of the day with no God. No wonder we have the kind of spiritual condition that exists in our land today. I hope, beloved, that the story of this little fellow will stir your heart and that any boy or mother who may be reading this, may receive great profit from it. Well, I Samuel 2:18, we read “But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.” He was just a child, but he ministered before the Lord! You see, in the other verse we read that he ministered unto the Lord: that is, he prayed, worshipped, loved the Lord and talked to Him about his daily life, about his father and mother, about
Ten Commandments fo r Christian Parents
and Bible reading with thy < family, and thou shalt always! thank God for food before par- j taking of it. 7. Thou shalt early teach thy child! to love and trust in God, and; thou shalt wisely help him toj choose Jesus Christ as his Lordj and Saviour. 8. Remember that the example of! thy life is more effective than] thy fault-finding and moraliz-! ing. 9. Thou shalt practice the teach ings of Christ in thy home by! being kind, unselfish and lov-; ing. 10. Remember the Lord’s day by] worshiping God in thy church; as a family, for this is necessary if thy home is to be truly Chris- tian.
11. Thou shalt look upon thy child, not as a possession belonging to thee, but as a sacred trust from God. \2. Thou shalt be honest in all deal ings with thy child, then hon esty and obedience can be ex pected of him. [3. Thou shalt regard thy child’s respect and love, not as a duty to be demanded, but as an achievement to be earned. ¡4. Remember when thou art out of patience with thy child’s faults to take time to count ten — of thine own. [5. Remember that the surest way to make it hard for thy child is to make it too easy for him. He should learn early the meaning of discipline and responsibility. ]6. Thou shalt have daily prayers
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