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The Bible Says
Recently, I chanced to glance at a picture taken in Iraq. It showed a whole circle of men with locked arms and bowed heads praying earnestly. No names were given and there was no explanation of what they were praying about. They may have been praying about the war. They may have been concerned about their own safety. But if they were Dads -- and no doubt many of them were -- I dare say, they were more concerned about their families back home, than they were for their own safety. As the old-timers used to say, “Dad doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve,” but nevertheless, that son or that little daughter of his, means more to him than anything else in the whole world! There is nothing within his power that he would not do for his precious family. I will never forget those good old days when our own children were small. I was always extremely busy. I never remember a time when I did not have more work ahead of me than I could possibly do. But I always found a little time to play with my kids. They would crawl all over me when they were small, and ride horseback on my shoulders. I would sing to them the old songs I learned as a child and we had a great time together! When they were a little older, their uncle John would take them with him on fishing trips, skiing and other outdoors sports. They explored the mountains and streams of our Montana home. My brother was an outdoors man and they learned to love him and all his outdoor activities. Later they spent some time on a ranch where they learned to ride horses and herd cattle, and John especially enjoyed that. During the school year, they rode a school bus 55 miles to a Missoula school, over mountain roads and winter ice and snow. Altogether, they had some exciting teenage years. They tell me now, those years in Montana bring back some of their most exciting memories! Not every family can enjoy the mountains and plains of Montana, but every dad can enjoy time with his kids; and those kids never forget the time they once spent with Dad. Furthermore, every true dad is concerned about the total welfare of his children. He wants them to have the best education possible. He wants them to have the right kind of friends, and to develop the best possible lifestyle. He is also interested in their relationship with God, and with God’s people. Following is a short admonition I will borrow at this time, from a brochure put out by a church in a suburb of Kansas City.
“Parents have one of the greatest responsibilities ever given to mankind: the care and development of the children God has given them. The Bible tells parents to “train up a child in the way he should go,” placing the responsibility upon the parents for a child’s care and education.” (Lee Summit Baptist Temple, 2614 NW Chipman Road, Lee Summit, MO 64081).
Some years ago in a manufacturing town of Scotland a young lady applied to the superintendent of a Sunday school for a class. At his suggestion she gathered a class of young boys. The superintendent told them to come to his house during the week and he would give each of them a new suit of clothes. They came and each was nicely fitted out. The worst and most unpromising boy in the class was a lad named Bob. After two or three Sundays he was missing and the teacher went out to hunt him up. She found that his new clothes were torn and dirty, but she invited him back to the school and he came. The superintendent gave him a second new suit, but after attending once or twice, Bob was again absent. Once again she sought him out and found that the second suit had gone the way of the first. “I am utterly discouraged with Bob,” she said, when she reported the case to the superintendent, “and I must give him up.” “Please don’t do that,” the superintendent replied. “I can’t but hope there is something good in Bob. Try him once more. I’ll give him a third suit if he’ll promise to attend regularly.” Bob did promise, and received his third new suit. He attended regularly, and became interested in the school. He became an earnest and persevering seeker after Jesus, and found Him. He joined the church. He was made a teacher. He studied for the ministry. The end of the story is that this discouraging boy---forlorn, ragged, run away Bob---became Robert Morrison, the great missionary to China who translated the Bible into the Chinese language, and by so doing, opened the kingdom of heaven to the teeming millions of that vast country.” --The Speaker’s Sourcebook Now is the time to prove our love! We must begin by examining our own hearts and lives. Have we led them in the paths of righteousness? Have we in our everyday lives honored the Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us? If not, now is the time to start.
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