Our Children by E. T. Russell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 28, 1903

Our Children

By E. T. Russell

E. T. RUSSELL

Our children are a legacy from the Lord, and as such should be highly prized by us as parents, and also by the church. If we half appreciated the preciousness of the gift, like Hannah with Samuel, we would from their earliest infancy dedicate them to the Lord, and, like the mother of Moses, train them for his service.

Our children are talents which the Lord has entrusted to us; and he will hold us accountable for the use we make of the talents thus granted us. One thing is certain, he will not say “Well done” unto us if we misdirect their minds, and cause them to bury their talents in the earth. It is true that many parents are doing this, although they may not be conscious of the fact. They direct the minds of their children to the world by placing before them worldly inducements, and in their conversation they are continually dwelling on worldly things. Then they wonder why their children have so little interest in spiritual things. The children in their lives are reflecting the lives and teachings of their parents.

We desire eternal salvation for ourselves and for our children. This being so, why not be wise unto salvation? Why not instruct our children in the things of God? Why not talk to them of God's power and of his kingdom? Why not teach them that this world is nothing compared to the eternal world? Why not instruct them to form characters for heaven? Why not teach them that the work of the third angel's message is the grandest work in the world, and that they should fit themselves to become workers in this the grandest of all movements.

Greater pains should be taken by both parents and churches in the education of their children. There should ever be held before them the responsibility of becoming workers in some branch of the cause. O that we might manifest the same spirit of consecration as did the Waldenses when they dedicated their children for missionaries, well knowing that it meant hardships, trials, and possibly a martyr's death for them. In contrast to their spirit of self-sacrifice, there are many parents to-day professing this precious truth who would not for one moment consent to their children entering the work if they were so situated that they could spare them. O, shame on such parents! May God pity them! Some who are wealthy reason that they can not afford to send their children to our training schools because they must have their services. For what?—That they may make more money and buy more lands. Thus they and their children are fast becoming clusters of the vine of the earth, and not fruit of the heavenly kingdom.

As parents, as churches, and as conferences, let us see to it that our children receive an education for service. We should not be satisfied until we see our church schools, academies, and colleges well patronized by our children and our youth. Let us take special interest in this good work, that our young people may be trained for service.