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Home Influences
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The father is the lawmaker of the household; and, like Abraham,
he should make the law of God the rule of his home. God said of
Abraham, “I know him, that he will command
“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to
wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:4
.
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his children and his household.”
Genesis 18:19
. There would be no
sinful neglect to restrain evil, no weak, unwise, indulgent favoritism;
no yielding of his conviction of duty to the claims of mistaken affec-
tion. Abraham would not only give right instruction, but he would
maintain the authority of just and righteous laws. God has given
rules for our guidance. Children should not be left to wander away
from the safe path marked out in God’s word, into ways leading to
danger, which are open on every side. Kindly, but firmly, with per-
severing, prayerful effort, their wrong desires should be restrained,
their inclinations denied.
The father should enforce in his family the sterner virtues—
energy, integrity, honesty, patience, courage, diligence, and practical
usefulness. And what he requires of his children he himself should
practice, illustrating these virtues in his own manly bearing.
But, fathers, do not discourage your children. Combine affection
with authority, kindness and sympathy with firm restraint. Give
some of your leisure hours to your children; become acquainted with
them; associate with them in their work and in their sports, and win
their confidence. Cultivate friendship with them, especially with
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your sons. In this way you will be a strong influence for good.
The father should do his part toward making home happy. What-
ever his cares and business perplexities, they should not be permitted
to overshadow his family; he should enter his home with smiles and
pleasant words.
In a sense the father is the priest of the household, laying upon
the family altar the morning and evening sacrifice. But the wife and
children should unite in prayer and join in the song of praise. In
the morning before he leaves home for his daily labor, let the father
gather his children about him and, bowing before God, commit them
to the care of the Father in heaven. When the cares of the day are