Living In The Light

March 28, Soul Culture

Do not withhold correction from a child,
For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die.
—Proverbs 23:13 LL 95.1

Children may be trained for the service of sin or for the service of righteousness. . . . But in order for parents to do this work, they must themselves understand the “way” the child should go. It is impossible for parents to give their children proper training unless they first give themselves to God, learning of the Great Teacher lessons of obedience to His will. LL 95.2

Physical training, the development of the body, is far more easily given than spiritual training. The nursery, the playground, the workshop; the sowing of the seed, and the gathering of the harvest—all these give physical training. Under ordinarily favorable circumstances a child naturally gains healthful vigor and a proper development of the bodily organs. Yet even in physical lines the child should be carefully trained. LL 95.3

Soul culture, which gives purity and elevation to the thoughts and fragrance to word and act, requires more painstaking effort. It takes patience to keep every evil motive weeded from the garden of the heart. The spiritual training should in no case be neglected; for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalms 111:10). By some, education is placed next to religion, but true education is religion. The Bible should be the child’s first textbook. From this book, parents are to give wise instruction. The Word of God is to be made the rule of the life. From it the children are to learn that God is their Father; and from the beautiful lessons of His Word they are to gain a knowledge of His character. . . . LL 95.4

For some reason many parents dislike to give their children religious instruction, and they leave them to pick up in Sabbath school the knowledge which it is their privilege and duty to impart. Such parents fail to fulfill the responsibility laid upon them, to give their children an all-around education. God commands His people to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. What does this mean—the nurture and admonition of the Lord? It means to teach them to order the life by the requirements and lessons of the Word; to help them to gain a clear understanding of the terms of entrance into the city of God.— Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students , pp. 108, 109. LL 95.5

Further Reflection: Why do some parents fail to spiritually instruct their children? LL 95.6