THURSDAY September 27, 2018
Ministering Before the Lord
Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest. Now the sons of Eli were corrupt;
they did not know the Lord.
1 Samuel 2:11-12
In these two verses, there is a clear contrast between of the righteous and the wicked. Young Samuel was righteous. Eli’s sons were wicked. Eli was a Levite, and he had been placed in a position of leadership in the tabernacle by God. Yet he was a faithless priest. Notice what was said about his children––his sons did not know the Lord.
I believe with all my heart there was a reason for Eli’s sons being the way they were. Something may have happened when they were children. Perhaps Eli was busy and did not take the time to train his children in the ways of the Lord, or perhaps he was too strict.
There can be a problem with leaders who get caught up in serving and worshiping God––they can neglect their families and children. The proof is in this chapter. I also believe parents need to be careful not to be like dictators in their homes, but allow their children to make mistakes. Nor should we try to mold them into our image. They should be molded into the image of Jesus Christ––very important.
We learn to be parents as we look at our mistakes that we have made. When God gives us children, we need to be graceful towards them. Understand, children make mistakes. They will rebel, get bad grades, and even get kicked out of school. This is all a part of growing up; there are very few kids who are perfect. My children are not perfect, but I am so blessed by the Lord, because I can see what God has done with my children. They have brought me much joy and happiness.
Children do need the guidance of their parents, and we guide them more by the example we set than by any other way. We need to be firm and sane and fair and consistent––and, above all, we need
to discipline in a spirit of love.
~Billy Graham~
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