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         Peter’s Counsel to Parents
      
      
        Timbers in character-building
      
      
        To those who desire to make their calling and election sure, and to
      
      
        obtain this eternal life-insurance policy, we would say, Remember that
      
      
        you are “labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are
      
      
        God’s building.” God is watching intently to see what kind of timbers
      
      
        parents and children put into their character building.
      
      
        Kindness and patience
      
      
        When the tiller of the soil sows seed, he apparently throws away his
      
      
        grain. Parents may think that in teaching their children the principles of
      
      
        kindness and patience, they are throwing away their time and efforts.
      
      
        But if they are faithful in training their children, they will reap an
      
      
        abundant harvest as surely as will the one who sows good seed in his
      
      
        field.
      
      
         [31]
      
      
        Home to be heaven on earth
      
      
        Parents, make your home a little heaven on earth. You can do this,
      
      
        if you so choose. You can make home so pleasant and cheerful that it
      
      
        will be the most attractive place on earth to your children. Let them
      
      
        receive all the blessings of the household. You can so relate yourselves
      
      
        to God that His Spirit will abide in your home. Come close to the
      
      
        bleeding side of the Man of Calvary. Those who are partakers with
      
      
        Him in His sufferings will at last be partakers with Him in His glory.
      
      
        Life-insurance policy
      
      
        We are offered an everlasting life-insurance policy that assures us
      
      
        a life which measures with the life of the infinite God. We are to make
      
      
        manifest that we are not working for earthly riches and honor, but for
      
      
        a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. When we have been
      
      
        offered so much, shall we not with every power of the being strive to
      
      
        be overcomers? If such an effort made men and women miserable, if it
      
      
        caused them to feel that they were under condemnation, we could not
      
      
        appeal so strongly to you to take up the cross and follow the Saviour.
      
      
        But we know that the effort to run with patience the race set before
      
      
        you will bring happiness into your face, the sparkle of glad satisfaction