House-Band of the Family

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4.
Great as is the work of the mother, it should never be forgotten that the father also has a part to act in the education and training of his children…. Especially as the children advance in years is the father’s influence needed, in union with that of the mother, to restrain, control, and guide.
A Christian father is the house-band of his family, binding them close to the throne of God. Never is his interest in his children to flag. The father who has a family of boys should not leave these restless boys wholly to the care of the mother…. He should make himself their companion and friend. He should exert himself to keep them from evil associates…. He should take more of the burden upon himself, doing all in his power to lead his boys to God.
When children lose their self-control and speak passionate words, the parents should for a time keep silent…. Silence is golden, and will do more to bring repentance than any words that can be uttered. Satan is well pleased when parents irritate their children by speaking harsh, angry words…. “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.” Colossians 3:21…. Let your calmness help to restore them to a proper frame of mind.
By kind and judicious management, fathers as well as mothers should bind their children to them by the strong ties of reverence, gratitude, and love, and should kindle in their young hearts an earnest longing for righteousness and truth. While the mother seeks to implant good principles, the father should see that the precious seed is not choked by the growth of evil. His sterner discipline is needed that his children may learn firmness and self-control….
Christian father, labor kindly, patiently, for the welfare of your children. Seek to turn their hearts to the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. Teach them by precept and example that the spirit of Christ is the spirit of doing good.
The Faith I Live By p. 265
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for a miracle. Since my knee is cancerous and the cancer has spread to other parts of my body, the hospital is recommending hospice care. God has the final say. Barbara
—-Please pray for Emma. She has a terrible cough and congestion that she just can’t seem to get over. Rose
—-please pray for my friend and her nursing classes. She’s been working so hard for this, but there’s one class that she didn’t pass and if the teacher doesn’t work something out with her, she’ll be out of the program. Natalia
—-I have a prayer request for a lady I know. She is blind and she has ringing in her ears. Have been praying for her she also wants some brail bible studies. Her husband requested the studies we have. She wants the brail so she can do them too. Pray we find them Kathy
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Dear Friends,
My grandfather, Edwin Harmon, worked as a bookbinder throughout his life. Although he had wanted to become a railroad engineer, he was forced to learn the family trade of bookbinding. Despite this fact, he did beautiful work. There was always book quality paper, pressure sensitive paper, scraps of leather, and even tiny bits of gold leaf left over. The paper looked the right size for a book, but when measured, came up short. These he brought home for me to play with.
As a child, I took these little gifts for granted. He gave me more paper than I could possibly use, and I wasted it on silly “projects.” I cut it, glued it, drew on it, did huge amounts of math problems on it (at the time numbers fascinated me), scattered it around my room, all sorts of things, but when I was ten and went to live with my mother, I didn’t have all of that paper to play with. My grandfather retired and moved to Florida, so he no longer had access to it. My mother bought some paper from the store, but it was not the same quality or quantity that I was used to. I really missed it.
How often we take God’s gifts for granted just as I had taken my grandfather’s paper for granted. How often we waste them selfishly on our own “silly projects” instead of sharing them with others. James tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17 “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:28 Every breath that we take, every beat of our heart, is a gift from our Loving Creator. He gives us health and strength, yet how seldom do we think of these blessings until sickness or injury comes upon us. How often we misuse and abuse our bodies not realizing that we are accountable for ourselves. Paul tells us, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” 1 Cor 3:17
How our Great Redeemer longs to give us the gift of His Holy Spirit. How He desires us to “come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He said, “If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:11-13 Paul adds, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant….Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” 1 Cor 12:1-11 These gifts the Holy Spirit gives us for the completion of His work. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:13 We cannot use this gift for ourselves: He uses us.
The greatest gift of all is the gift of the Dear Son of God, Who gave His life for us that we might be saved. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:16,17 Think of it! Our Dear Saviour “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil 2:7,8 How great is His love toward us! It is beyond our understanding! He, Whom all Heaven adored, stepped down from His Father’s throne, and became a tiny spark of life in Mary’s womb, born in a stable, enduring poverty, hardship, and all the hatred that the evil one could heap upon Him. He endured it all for us!
May we never take His Unspeakable Gift for granted. May we love Him with our whole heart and strength and being. May we exclaim as did David, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” Psa 68:19 Amen.
Rose