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Let God Control, September 5
Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it:
except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Psalm 127:1
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God ... desired that the earth should be filled with joy and peace. He
created man for happiness, and He longs to fill human hearts with the
peace of heaven. He desires that the families below shall be a symbol
of the great family above.
Christian homes, established and conducted in accordance with
God’s plan, are among His most effective agencies for the formation of
Christian character and for the advancement of His work.
Home should be made all that the word implies. It should be a little
heaven upon earth, a place where the affections are cultivated instead of
being studiously repressed. Our happiness depends upon this cultivation
of love, sympathy, and true courtesy to one another.
Let your home be such that Christ can enter it as an abiding guest.
Let it be such that people will take knowledge of you that you have been
with Jesus, and have learned of Him.
The home in which the members are kindly, courteous Christians
exerts a far-reaching influence for good. Other families mark the results
attained by such a home, and follow the example set, in their turn
guarding their homes against evil influences.
Angels of heaven often visit the home in which the will of God bears
sway. Under the power of divine grace, such a home becomes a place
of refreshing to worn, weary pilgrims. Self is kept from asserting itself.
Right habits are formed. There is a careful recognition of the rights of
others. The faith that works by love and purifies the soul stands at the
helm, presiding over the entire household.
The greatest evidence of the power of Christianity that can be pre-
sented to the world is a well-ordered, well-disciplined family. This will
recommend the truth as nothing else can, for it is a living witness of its
practical power upon the heart.
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