The Bible Echo
October 15, 1894
Christian Homes and Innocent Recreation
The best test of the Christianity of a home is the type of character that results from its influence. The very first work of parents is to secure the blessing of God in their own hearts, and then bring this blessing into their homes. BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 1
God commanded the Hebrews to teach their children His requirements, and to make them acquainted with all His dealings with their fathers. This was one of the special duties of every parent,—one that was not to be delegated to another. In the place of stranger lips, instruction was to come warm from the loving hearts of father and mother. Thoughts of God were to be associated with all the events of daily life; the mind was to be trained to see God alike in the scenes of nature and the words of revelation. BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 2
Such was the training of Moses in the lowly cabin home in Goshen; of Samuel, by the faithful Hannah; of David in the hill dwelling at Bethlehem; of Daniel, before the scenes of the captivity separated him from the home of his fathers. Such, too, was the early life of Christ at Nazareth; such the training by which the child Timothy learned from the lips of his “grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice” the truths of Holy Writ. BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 3
In Christian homes a bulwark should be built against temptation. Satan is using every means to make crime and degrading vice popular. We cannot walk the streets of our cities without encountering flaring notices of crime presented in some novel, or to be acted at some theatre. The mind is educated to familiarity with sin. The course pursued by the base and vile is kept before the people in the periodicals of the day, and everything that can arouse passion is brought before them in exciting stories. BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 4
There is need of relaxation; but temperance should be exercised in amusements, as in every other pursuit. The character of these amusements should be carefully and thoroughly considered. He who seeks pleasure among those that know not God, is placing himself on Satan's ground, and inviting his temptations. Every youth should ask himself seriously, What influence will these amusements have on physical, mental, and moral health? Will my mind become so infatuated as to forget God? shall I cease to have His glory before me? BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 5
Many of the amusements popular in the world today, even with those who claim to be Christians, tend to the same end as did those of the heathen. There are indeed few among them that Satan does not turn to account in destroying souls. Through the drama he has worked for ages to excite passion and glorify vice. The opera, with its fascinating display and bewildering music, the masquerade, the dance, the card-table, Satan employs to break down the barriers of principle, and open the doors to sensual indulgence. In every gathering for pleasure where pride is fostered or appetite indulged, where one is led to forget God and lose sight of eternal interests, there Satan is binding his chains about the soul. BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 6
There are modes of recreation that are highly beneficial to both mind and body. Wise parents will find abundant means for the entertainment and diversion of their children, from sources not only innocent but instructive. Recreation in the open air, the contemplation of the works of God in nature, will be of the highest benefit. Every nerve and sense will respond to the expressions of God's love in His marvellous works. BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 7
Let parents, in the home life, seek to exemplify the love and beneficence of the Heavenly Father. Let the home be full of sunshine. Let home love be kept alive, that in after years the children may look back on the home of their childhood, where their minds were trained and their characters moulded, as a place of peace and happiness next to heaven. BEcho October 15, 1894, par. 8