May, 1935
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
167
Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts Coortesy “The Friend”
A HERITAGE of the £ord
Through the kindness o f two honored parents whose testimonies follow , readers o f this Christian Home Num ber o f the K ing ’ s B usiness are drawn into the family circle o f two happy homes. P eter Stam represents Christian fathers. A s a priest in his own house, M r. Stam has had the joy o f seeing his sons and daughters grow up in the fea r and admonition o f the Lord. Out from his home there have gone strong and courageous Christians, some to be missionaries, some to be witnesses at home, one to seal his testimony in his blood—a martyr, with his w ife, at the hands o f Chinese Communists last December. A s might be expected, this father writes humbly, simply, revealing the childlike de pendence upon God that has made his home great. Eleanor E . Elliott, M .D .C .M ., the faithful helpmeet o f a missionary husband whose labors have been crowned with rest, speaks from the depth o f a mother heart. Four o f her children have been graduated from the Bible Insti tute o f Los Angeles. Others have received Christian training elsewhere and have become servants o f Christ. In the two intimate articles that follow , it will readily be seen that the authors’ first claim to greatness lies in the fact o f the recognized supremacy o f their Lord and the willingness o f their hearts to wholly trust in Him. Thus may every home everywhere be counted great and parents notable who give to Christ the place o f true preeminence. —E ditor . TH E SECRET OF A H APPY CHRISTIAN HOME B y PETER STAM J ust this morning as I was-about to leave for a short trip to the Middle West, I received .from the man aging editor of the K ing ’ s B usiness a 5 request for an article on the secret of a happy Christian home. In a word, I believe that the key to a happy Christian home is— “ Christ.” I was brought up in an old-fashioned saloon in the "Netherlands and came to America as an unbeliever when
I was a young man. God in His infinite grace led a woman to give me a New Testament with the Dutch and English languages in parallel columns. This volume I used in the study of the English language, but the Book became more than a textbook to me. Through it I learned to see myself as a sinner, and to trust the Lord Jesus as my Saviour. As I think o f the Christian joy and fellowship that our fam ily has enjoyed through the past years, I must look back to that incident and acknowledge humbly that the source o f all our joy is the grace o f God. My dear wife by her pious life brought me nearer to the Lord. Our home was crowned with six boys and three girls. From the beginning, Mrs. Stam and I, as Christian parents, were burdened about the bringing up o f our children. O f course we prayed about our business and about various other activities, but one o f the main subjects o f our prayer was always the rearing of our chil dren in the fear o f God. Somehow we never dared to pray that they might be rich or great, but always that they might be H is in the fullest sense o f the word. . Often we impressed upon the children’s minds their need o f the Lord in everything, whether great or small. Three times each day at meals we read our Bibles together and prayed. W e also had prayer after arising each morn ing and before retiring each night. ^>o not think for a moment that our children were angels. Often it was necessary to use the rod, though with God’s help we endeavored to use it prayerfully and lov ingly. Mrs. Stam and I frequentlymade blundersin the rear ing o f our family, but the Lord knew that we wanted the children to have the same joy that we had found in trusting Christ and serving Him. In His grace He overlooked all our failures and made otlr home one o f the happiest. One o f the three girls went to be with the Lord when she was a tiny baby. The other two and the six boys all grew lip and at some time during their youth learned to know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. A ll o f them are witnesses for Him. Even our dear John and his wife, IJetty, though [Continued on page 200] ' - !
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