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Home Influences
267
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 his children and
his household.”
Genesis 18:19
, KJV. 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 affection.
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Abraham would not only give right instruction, 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 persevering,
prayerful effort, their wrong desires should be restrained, their evil
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 life.
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
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 affect his family; he should enter his home with smiles and pleas-
ant 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 work, the father should
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
past, let the family unite in grateful prayer and a song of praise,
acknowledging divine care during the day.
Fathers and mothers, however pressing your business, do not
fail to gather your family together to worship God. Ask for the
guardianship of holy angels in your home. Remember that your dear