is no different from any of the rest of us. One doesn’t whine his way into heaven. The Lord says, “the wages of sin is death;” and, “the soul that sin- neth it shall die.” A person cannot rebel against the Lord, choosing his own way and then some day expect to stand before the portals of heaven like the foolish virgins. Fathers and mothers are given the glorious privilege of representing to their child the very character and blessedness of our sovereign Father, Son and Holy Spirit. How well are you doing it in your home? Ask the Lord’s blessing as you apply these practical principles taken from His holy will. Chapter Eleven O ne of the most blessed things about the Word of God is its wonderful practicality. The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote, “Fathers do not provoke your children lest they be frustrated and discouraged.” Again he declared, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath or to anger, but nurture them in the chastening and discipline of the Lord.” This is one of the paramount reasons why the Lord gave children parents. One area of important care is in re lation to the responsibility we have of seeing they get the proper food. They grow rapidly building bones, sinew, muscle and flesh. They need the proper physical as well as spiritual nutri ments. You may wonder where in the world they put it.” They’ve got a tape worm,” a mother once said to me. No, they are just growing and need build ing blocks. Children need far more food than a grown man because they are not only exercising and expending a lot of energy but also are building new bones, sinews, and muscles. But there are times when a child doesn’t grow. There are times when he eats very little. For a few weeks or a month he doesn’t want very much.
This is the time we usually battle them. We should not do this. Another thing, do not fill up the plate of a child the same as you would an adult. Some parents unwisely ex pect children to eat the same size por tions as adults and as a result they rebel and the entire matter of eating is unpleasant for them. Give them just the right amount so that they can clean up their plates. The child should be taught that whining will get him no where. There was a little fellow in our household who didn’t want to take a nap. To show us how definite he was he threw himself down on the floor in a violent temper tantrum. My wife gave me an urgent call. When I got there we both knew what needed to be done. We knelt with him on the floor and banged his head until he got the point. That was the last time that ever occurred. Several years later when his younger brother came along he tried the same thing. The older boy sideled up to him and said, “I’d advise you not to try that. I did and it doesn’t work.” The child must learn these facts early in life or the rest of his days will be misery and frustration for himself as well as for those around him. If you really love your child, you will dis cipline him, putting down firm .rules and regulations. All of this, of course, is to be done in love. But consistency is the watchword. Coming home from the depot in Saint Paul some months ago, I noticed two teenage young people who were quite loud in their talk. One said, “How do you get what you want at home?” “Oh,” she replied, “I just stay with it. My brother, he doesn’t know how to do it. He just blows his stack. Then fa ther blows his and it’s a mess. If I want this or that, I just say ‘Mommy, can I have it?’ She’ll say, ‘No, we can’t af ford it.’ Then I start the next day and just keep it up long enough until she gives in.” Children must know that they can’t whine their way into heaven. One can’t whine his way into a better job. He can’t whine his way into morality or 15
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