The Adventist Home
Greater Than Any Sermon — 2
DEDICATION -TO GOD AND FAMILY
A certain father in Bible days was
a good man—amiable, pious, gener-
ous—a servant of God for more than
40 years. This man, Eli, was never
a thief, a drunkard, or a dealer in
immorality. He was never cruel or
unjust; and yet Gods judgment
against this preacher of old was so
severe that He said, “Both the ears
of every one that heareth it shall
tingle” (1 Sam. 3:11).
What did this man do that was
such an abomination in the eyes of
the Lord? Verse 13 gives the answer:
“For I have told him that I will
judge his house for ever for the
iniquity which he knoweth; because
his sons made themselves vile, and
he restrained them not.” The Inspired
Record (1 Sam. 2) says that Eli
scolded his sons with a rather faint
rebuke, but evidently he took no
positive action to stop the evil. He
was weak, soft, too easygoing; there
was too little staunchness in his
parental authority.
Successful control is the product of
a lifetime, beginning with the very
young and tender years. It was Eli’s
duty to the boys, ta the family, to
the church, and to the nation to con-
trol them. As a father he was a fail-
ure in that he chose the path of
least resistance.
His sons discovered that he was
an easy mark, and that they could
get away with almost anything. His
weakness resulted in great evil. Prov-
erbs 29:15-17 says: “The rod and
reproof give wisdom: but a child
left to himself bringeth his mother
to shame. . . . Correct thy son, and
he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall
give delight unto thy soul.”
Recently 1 talked with the son of
a highly honoured and successful
minister. The boy, in a college, was
in trouble—bad trouble. I was told
by the school administrator that the
boy might be given another chance
if I could help him in some way.
During our conversation I mentioned
how sad his father would feel if his
dreams for his som should fade. The
boy shrugged his shoulders. “I guess
dad would feel bad all right—maybe
not, though.”
MAY, 1963
“What do vou mean, ‘maybe not’?
“Well, dad's been so busy helping
everyone else he never had much
time for me. I never got to be with
him much. He used to scold me once
in a while. Well, IT don’t know. . . .”
What a tragedy! What shall it
profit a man if he should gain the
whole world and lose his own son?
“Kindly, but firmly, with persever-
ing, prayerful effort, their wrong de-
sires should be restrained, their in-
clinations denied. . . . Combine af-
fection with authority, kindness and
sympathy with firm restraint.”—The
Ministry of Healing, p. 391.
If necessary use the rod. The Book
of divine psychology savs: “Chasten
thy son while there is hope, and
let not thy soul spare for his crying”
(Prov. 19:18).
A number of years ago a minister
had four sons. When he saw them
slipping under the influence of the
big city he resigned as pastor of a
large church to serve a small country
community where he could establish
a more ideal home for his family.
You say, That was going to an ex-
treme. Perhaps so, but it was the
only way he felt he could save his
fine bovs.
The years passed. The father saw
them through’ Christian schools. To-
day those four sons are in the min-
istry, serving God effectively—a great
blessing to the parents and a strength
to the cause of God. Better a child
unborn than one not properly trained.
A shepherd was once asked why le
had such perfect, robust sheep. His
answer: “I take good care of the
larubs.”
Parents, take time to study, to
train yourselves in all the aspects of
the Christian home. The establishing
of a Christian home and the rearing
of boys and girls is the greatest re-
sponsibility in the world. We have
available in our denomination the
most valuable materials possible for
making a success of this task. Read
the compilation of precious truths in
the books The Adventist Home and
Child Guidance by Ellen G. White.
In these two volumes are answers
for practically every problem.
Read the seven chapters on the
home in The Ministry of Healing.
Peruse again the books Counsels to
Parents and Teachers and Education.
Do your vouth ask questions difficult
to answer? Studv Messages to Young
People. Also read carefully The Ad-
ventist Home and School magazine,
and the Christian Home Series
leaflets.
Add to this list such books as
Happiness for Husbands and Wives,
by Harold Shryock, M.D.; Love's
Way, by A. W. Spalding; and read
the many good articles in the Home
section of the Review and Herald.
The Gift of Health
When a famous man on his fiftieth
birthday was asked to give some
advice to young men he said, “If I
were twenty again I would take such
good care of my health that when
the vears of the great tasks and op-
portunities came to me in my forties
I would have a sound constitution
to carry on those tasks.”
“An education in the things that
concern life and health is more im-
portant to them (the children) than
a knowledge of many of the sciences
taught in the schools.”—The Ministry
of Healing, pp. 385, 386.
In the heart of Nevada there is
a Seventh-day Adventist who owns
a feed store. While visiting him one
day I noticed two men intent on
buying feed for their stock. They
were reading the labels on the feed
bags, checking on the nourishment,
the vitamins, proteins, iron, minerals,
and all the rest of the necessary
elements. I wonder whether they
were that careful about the selection
of food for their children.
With all of the material that is
available in our books and periodi-
cals, there is no need for us to be
deficient in knowledge concerning
nutrition and health. Ellen G. White
says, “The importance of training
children to right dietetic habits can
hardly be overestimated.”—Ibid., p.
383. Again, “(Parents,) study health
subjects, and put your knowledge to
a practical use . . . Teach them
(your children) that if they desire
health and happiness, they must obey
the laws of nature.”—Ibid., p. 386.
Remember, a man without health
has nothing. Our children will not
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