Professing or Possessing

Professing or Possessing

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).

O parents, parents(Matthew 7:21)!

(James Smith)

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4

Children are keen observers, and are much more powerfully affected by what they see--than by what they hear. It is of little use to talk to them of the gospel--if we do not adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in our lives. Thousands of children are ruined by the conduct of their parents--and many of them professing Christian parents!

O parents, parents! Take care what you are teaching your children by your example. You are always influencing them for good--or evil. You are leading them to Heaven--or Hell. Not a day passes, but you produce impressions--perhaps permanent impressions--either good or bad.

When parents profess to be Christians, and do not carry out Christian principles in their daily lives--can we be surprised if their children turn out ungodly?

I fear that the blood of many children's souls--will be found on their parents' garments! I fear the open criminality of many children--is but a public exposure of the secret inconsistency of many professedly Christian parents!

How much attention is frequently paid to the body--how little to the soul! How much time and expense are spent on nurturing the mind--and how little on the heart! How many educate for time--not for eternity! How many prepare their children to take a wealthy place in the world--how few endeavor to prepare their children to take a place in Heaven!

-Grace Gems

            Life is a journey, not a destination. Character determines destination. A child's character is determined by the age of six...habits, personality traits.

            No matter how many degrees you have after your name, your net worth on your financial statements, your reputation in your community among the "in" crowd IF you are like most of us who are aging, we know that our greatest wealth came from the training given us by our parents. When a biographer went to Sir Winston Churchill to have him authenticate his school teachers, Sir Winston put his mother's name at the head of the list. He said, "I had many great teachers but my greatest teacher was my mother."

            This writer loved every one of his public school teachers, from Ms. Dickenson, 1st grade; Ms. Edmundson, 2nd grade; Ms. Pike, 3rd grade; Ms. Champion, 4th grade; Ms. Buffalo, 5th grade; Ms. Gurley, 6th grade; Ms. Ingram, 7th grade; Ms. Eakins, 8th grade; and all my high school teachers, a small country school in which at my graduation, 13 in my graduating class.

            I so admired most of my university and professional school professors. Particularly those who had empathy for a farm boy from poverty, working nights-summers to pay his way through a long, expensive course of study (eight years).

            Down the road, up a lane from our farm, a much poorer family-vicious father, uninformed mother, several boys subject to violent abuse.

            Neither my father or mother had a wrist watch until long after married. My father had left his watch laying on a cabinet in the kitchen of our nice home during the long, hot, sweaty work day. He employed these boys from this distressed family whenever possible because they sorely needed the money. He had sent one of the boys to our house, back porch where the hand pump was located, to fill a container with drinking water. The boy, looking into the kitchen, had taken my father's watch. Now, my father knew exactly who had taken his watch and that if he told the boys father, he would probably beat him mercilessly. So my father, like he would one of his own children, took him aside and talked to him, told him to return his watch and nothing would be said. This was done and I learned a valuable lesson that would last my through many years of renting property to tenants, employing people in my house, around nice things, so easy to "snatch" from a blind man.

            You see, young people do not realize that God invested in them a conscience, an ability to tell right from wrong. Perhaps some hardened criminals have a hard heart, not permeated by anything, most people do not. Dishonesty has become almost common place in modern society, as my lawyer says, a cost of doing business. Young people just expect dishonesty, no longer the exception. Dishonesty by politicians, powerful brokers, even preachers. This writer has told so many young people working for me or just living "life is tough enough at best." Most "things" which excite you are just junk compared to your immortal soul. Working for me, someone who needs you, willing to pay you, don't take my "stuff" and for the rest of your life, be reminded by your conscience everyday, "I stole from an old blind veteran who trusted me."  

            This very week, this totally blind medical officer veteran is wracked by pain. The stress of having to replace property taken from me by young men to whom I had rented a house, young men a third my age, good salaries from the local movie studio. It is this type stress, almost a way of life, destroying the health of a nation. If God has the very hairs of your head counted (Matthew 10:30) and I believe he does because everything in his book has proven to be true, he will most assuredly take care of his own and those who torture his own.

"But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23).