422
Child Guidance
Spirit will prove ineffectual to soften and subdue their hearts. If in
later years, under special circumstances, they yield to the gospel of
Christ, they will have to fight terrible battles to bring the disloyal will
into submission to the will of God. Often the church has to suffer
through its members because of the wrong education received by them
in childhood. When children, they were allowed to practice deception
in order to gain their own way; and the spirit that was permitted to
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be rebellious in the home will be the last to render obedience to the
requirements of God’s Word
Spirituality May Be Killed by Criticism—When you are
tempted to speak cross words, pray for grace to resist the temptation.
Remember that your children will speak as they hear you speaking.
By your example you are educating them. Remember that if you speak
cross words to fellow church members, you would speak the same
kind of words in heaven, were you permitted to enter there....
After the family then comes the church. The influence of the family
is to be such that it will be a help and a blessing in the church. Never
speak a word of complaint or faultfinding. There are churches in which
the spirituality has been almost killed, because the spirit of backbiting
has been allowed to enter. Why do we speak words of blame and
censure? To be silent is the strongest rebuke that you can give to one
who is speaking harsh, discourteous words to you. Keep perfectly
silent. Often silence is eloquence
In Care for Unfortunate Youth—Young men and women who
are not under home influences need someone to look after them and to
manifest some interest for them; and those who do this are supplying
a great lack and are as verily doing a work for God and the salvation
of souls as the minister in the pulpit. This work of disinterested
benevolence in laboring for the good of the youth is no more than God
requires of every one of us. How earnestly should the experienced
Christian work to prevent the formation of those habits that indelibly
mar the character! Let the followers of Christ make the Word of God
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attractive to the youth
The Minister Has a Special Opportunity—At every suitable
opportunity let the story of Jesus’ love be repeated to the children. In
6
The Review and Herald, March 30, 1897
.
7
Manuscript 21, 1903
.
8
Fundamentals of Christian Education, 51
.