The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1946-02-22

Home, church, school and the
state-these are the four institutions
which determine the greatness of
people-and the most influential of
all is the home.
What a child becomes under the
nurture of the home will determine
his interest in the church, his atti-
tude toward school, and eventually
his value as citizen of the nation.
How tragic then that we are giving
so little attention to our American
homes!
The religious life of the home is
the most important element Of its
activity, for it is the determining fac
tor in the life of the child. 1t is in
the home that the child's whole ex-
istence centers and from which he
receives the repeated impressions,
day by day, which determine char
acter and destiny. It is in the home
that the parent has the opportunity
to demonstrate the reality of the
faith protested in the church, and
to show the child that Christianity
really counts in the ordinary expert
enceS of life.
Three things appear in our lesson
as characterizing the religion of the
home.
I. Worship wv. 4, 81.
Twice day the orthodox Jew re-
peats the words of these verses:
namely, at the time Of prayer, morn
ing and night. They remind him Of
his personal relationship to God, and
they recall one Of Gods primary
reasons for calling Israel to be his
people. They were to be national
witness to the one true God in the
midst OF the almost universal wor-
ship Of many gods. They were to
stand for monotheism in the midst
Of polytheism.
So important is the complete de-
votion of man-and that brings in
the whole family-to God that when
Jesus was asked what was the
greatest Of all commandments (see
Mark 12:28-31), he named this pas
sage together with Leviticus 1918.
Nothing should take precedence
over the true worship of God in our
hearts, and in the hearts of all those
we hold dear in our households. The
Eternal One, the Source of Life,
the All-Powerful One, he is "our
God" ". ~ and he looks to us for
complete and constant devotion to
him. Let us give it!
III. instruction wv. Coy.
1t was not enough that these words
should be repeated in some regular
or formal worship, but they were to
be taught to the children in the home
with all faithfulness and diligence
and by the parents.
We are far too eager to delegate
the teaching of our children to 9TH
ers. In religious matters it is the
church and the Sunday school which
are responsible. Many parents do
not even take their boys and girls to
the house of God. They just send
them. Mark it well, such parents
are delinquent in their duties to God
and to their families.
But our vital point is, this-it is
the business of the home to teach
religion, to do it regularly, and to
make it normal and natural part
of daily life.
This is matter of great signif1-
canoe. The faith which we profess
in the church must be effectively
brought into the home. It is not
enough to carry a Bible on Sunday.
1t should be in use in the home
throughout the week; not only in
family worship, but in the incidentals
of daily life.
The family altar has gradually
disappeared, and it is regrettable
that it has. for the testimony of gen.
erations indicates that in family
worship some of the most useful men
and women of all ages have received
the direction Of life which made
them great for God.
III. Remembrance wv. 1O-12).
Israel had a history full of the
magnificent mercies of God. In the
day when, by his help and blessing
they were to be established in their
land, they were to recall his bless
ings and recognize his goodness.
There are few, if any, more pow
erful incentives to faith and coura-
geous living than the remembrance
of past blessings. To recall how God
made it possible for ordinary men
and women to, by faith, subdue king
doms, quench the fires of persecu-
ton, turn back the armies of aliens,
to become strong in the midst of
weakness Tread Heb. III is to make
one ready for the battles of life.
Every family has its dark and
trying days, its experiences which
rock one back on his heels in aston
ishment and fear-and in the Chris
tian family God has always been
the answer-the solution to every
problem, the provider for every
need. Keep such memories fresh in
the thinking Of boys and girls and
they will be ready for the storms of
life.