be grateful and thankful. They should know how to recognize authority and submit to it. They need to know ethical as well as eternal values. They need to learn to be free from race prejudices, one of the real blights in our world today. These are just a few of the vital things a child is supposed to learn at the feet of his father and mother: char acter values and eternal values. Basically, the reason the Lord gave children parents is so that the child may have an understanding of the grace of our Lord and come to know our Saviour as a born-again soul in Jesus Christ. This, of course, involves many things. Are we instructing our children in the Scriptures? You as a father and mother are failing your selves, and God more importantly, un less you take the responsibility. You must first know the experience of His grace. You must know how to pray, how to gain truths out of the Bible and then pass them along to your child. We are grateful for all of the Sunday schools teaching our children basic principles of the holy faith. But they can only do this a few minutes a week. Day after day there should be prayer and a study of the Bible with the children. This need not, and for spiritual profit cannot, be “above their heads.” This is a part of the fam ily altar. Many times children grow up to be ignorant of the priceless gifts contained in the Word of God. If you have never done this decide now, by the grace of God, that you will. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and guidance. He will; He has promised to do so. After hearing such an exhortation one father told me, “I went home to my family and I said to them after supper, ‘Now don’t go away. I want you all to come into the living room. I have a confession to make. I’ve not been what I should be to you. We’ve never had Bible reading. We’ve never had prayer in our home. We’re going to begin tonight. If someone will get the Bible you’ll have to help your fa ther because I’m not given to much speaking and this will be difficult. Let’s
read through the 23rd Psalm and then let’s pray together the Lord’s prayer.’ ” The results were that the entire home was changed through such a humble beginning. There will be difficult times along the way but stick by it and God will reward you and your family with untold blessings both for the moment as well as for the years ahead. Two Christian parents do not make a Christian home in itself any more than two professors make a Christian university. It is when father and moth er dedicate their home to the glory of our blessed Lord, purposing that their lives shall be a reflection of the very nature of our Lord. This is largely the accomplishment of the family altar. The next question is, “How do you keep your children in the family altar from being bored?” The chief purpose of the family altar is not a mere habit, it is that which is desperately needed. There are many things you can do. When the children are in their younger years, let them get some of the Bible story books which are avail able. Let every child have a Bible and when they are old enough to read aloud let them have a part. For fur ther variety, sometimes let one of the children be responsible for the family altar and then sometimes another. In addition to the family altar we need to instruct our children as to the values of Christian fellowship. Be sure to take them to Sunday school and church. Don’t ask your child whether he wants to go, any more than you would ask him whether he wants to go to high school. This is permissive ness which is wrong. You must decide as a father and mother what is good for the child. Then you should be sure to go yourself. The Scripture says that children ought to honor their father and mother. As one boy said to me, “Well, I know parents who aren’t worth obeying.” Unfortunately, he was right. The fa ther is the particular head of the house. He should set the pattern. When the time comes for Sunday school all will go. You can’t tell your boy to go; you must show him. We are supposed to 19
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