God Given Task

Good Morning,
 
In Al Sanders book, “Crisis in Morality”, he compares the descendants of an atheist called Max Jukes to the offspring of a well known preacher that lived during Mr. Juke’s lifetime called Jonathan Edwards. Here is what he wrote:
 
“Max Jukes, the atheist, lived a godless life. He married an ungodly girl, and from the union there were 310 who died as paupers, 150 were criminals, 7 were murderers, 100 were drunkards, and more than half of the women were prostitutes . . . But praise the Lord, it works both ways! There is a record of a great American man of God, Jonathan Edwards. He lived at the same time as Max Jukes, but he married a godly girl. An investigation was made of 1,394 known descendants of Jonathan Edwards of which 13 became college presidents, 65 college professors, 3 United States senators, 30 judges, 100 lawyers, 60 physicians, 75 army and navy officers, 100 preachers and missionaries, 60 authors of prominence, one a vice‐president of the United States, 80 became public officials in other capacities, 296 college graduates, among whom were governors of states and ministers to foreign countries.”
 
Not all children raised in a godly home will be godly adults, and not all raised in an ungodly home will remain ungodly.  Nor do we raise our children with a goal for them to be college presidents, or senators.  But I am made to believe that the odds are with us, that they'll be spiritually successful, if we raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
 
It is in the home that children are to learn to talk and to pray. It is there that they are to learn politeness in working, in playing, in eating and in talking. It is there that they are to learn to study and to work, and not to be idlers. It is there that they are to learn to be selective in their companionship, that they may not get into evil associations later on. One of the strongest warnings of the Scriptures is to shun the fool and his way. It is in the home that the children are to learn order and punctuality. Counseling has the thought of mutual deliberation, of advising, and of exercising judgment and prudence. This is part of that "admonition of the Lord."
 
As parents we have a task, a God‐given task – often an exhausting task that takes time and labor; that taxes the mind, the nerves, the patience, the endurance. The loving parent is willing to pay such a price, for he says: "My child is worth it. It may be easier to adopt permissiveness or to give an excuse, but for the sake of my child, I'm not willing to do that."  He is going to approach this duty in a pro‐active way.
 
The farmer who neglects the culture of his fields will soon have his acres overrun with thorns and briars and noxious weeds; and the parent who neglects the culture of his child may soon discover evils far more hideous and disastrous.  This task is not just for the father.
 
In Proverbs 31 we are given a description of a virtuous woman: "Her price is far above rubies," and, "she looketh well to the ways of her household."
 
Mrs. Wesley never considered herself discharged from the care of her children. Into all situations she followed them with her prayers and counsel; and her sons, even when at the university, benefited from her wise parental instructions.
 
Does the duty of a parent ever end?  May God bless you today!
 
Henry