A Dangerous Example

Eli was priest and judge in Israel. He held the highest and most responsible positions among the people of God. As a man divinely chosen for the sacred duties of the priesthood, and set over the land as the highest judicial authority, he was looked up to as an example, and he wielded a great influence over the tribes of Israel. But although he had been appointed to govern the people, he did not rule his own household…. Loving peace and ease, he did not exercise his authority to correct the evil habits and passions of his children. Rather than contend with them or punish them, he would submit to their will and give them their own way. Instead of regarding the education of his sons as one of the most important of his responsibilities, he treated the matter as of little consequence. The priest and judge of Israel had not been left in darkness as to the duty of restraining and governing the children that God had given to his care. But Eli shrank from this duty, because it involved crossing the will of his sons, and would make it necessary to punish and deny them….

The curse of transgression was apparent in the corruption and evil that marked the course of his sons. They had no proper appreciation of the character of God or of the sacredness of His law. His service was to them a common thing. From childhood they had been accustomed to the sanctuary and its service; but instead of becoming more reverent, they had lost all sense of its holiness and significance. The father had not corrected their want of reverence for his authority, had not checked their disrespect for the solemn services of the sanctuary; and when they reached manhood, they were full of the deadly fruits of skepticism and rebellion….

There is no greater curse upon households than to allow the youth to have their own way. When parents regard every wish of their children and indulge them in what they know is not for their good, the children soon lose all respect for their parents, all regard for the authority of God or man, and are led captive at the will of Satan.
Conflict and Courage p. 140
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Announcement
I have a new email address for prayer requests. rosesdevotional@yahoo.com. The cox address is no longer usable. If you have sent anything to my old address, please resend it. Thanks
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Prayer Requests
—–I have an unspoken prayer request. Eileen
—–Ken woke up Monday not knowing anything. He is in ICU and not responding to medication. Please pray for him and for Linda, his wife. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Whenever I look at pictures of beautiful, sparkling stalactites and stalagmites,it reminds me of the time when I was a little girl, my mother and I went to Wisconsin for a vacation. While there, we went to a cave called Cave of the Mounds. As we walked through that cave, I was awe-struck by the beauty there was inside the earth. It looked like a fairyland. That began a love for caves that has lasted throughout the years. No matter where we go, I always try to go to a nearby cave if we have time. Some of the caves are much like the first cave we visited. Others are very plain limestone caves without any beauty at all. Those are somewhat of a disappointment but still interesting.

Ron doesn’t like caves much, but he goes because I enjoy them. His biggest complaint about a cave tour is that the guide nearly always gets us down in the depths of the earth and then turns out the lights. The guide tells everyone in the tour group to be silent. There is not one tiny ray of light. The blackness is so dark that it can be felt. After what seems like an eternity to Ron, the guide turns on a small flashlight. It is a relief to be able to see something again. After turning on the light switch, the cave is once more flooded with light and the beautiful formations are again visible.

So it is in our spiritual life. Without Jesus, Who is “the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” we are in total darkness, darkness as complete as it is inside a cave. John 1:9 It seems that we would naturally stay close to That Light, but how often we turn from the True Light to explore the things this dark world has to offer. When we do this, the Light is behind us and the farther we go from the Source of all Light, the less we can see. We find ourselves in darkness as dark as in the depths of an unlighted cave. We begin looking around for light, any light, to show us the way. Sometimes we follow someone who says they have the light, but their light is the dim and shaky light of their own making. Their light will go out just when we have the most need of it.

Sometimes we rely on another’s light which they have only because of their connection with the True Light. We stay so close to them that it seems that we, too, have that True Light. We don’t realize that we do not until it is too late. Jesus told a parable about this very thing. “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so, lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

May we continually keep our eyes on Dear Jesus, the True Light, and follow Him all the way to His Heavenly Kingdom is my prayer.
Rose