Dear Christian friends:

The week following Mother's Day is called Christian Family Week. At last once a year the Church gives extra special attention to Christian home life. Very good idea. Our homes are often not Christian, but worldly or like non-Christian homes.

So let us attend to our text and learn from it.

St. Paul places responsibilities on parents especially the "father." "Ye fathers." he says. Fathers should not be too busy working or playing so as to fail in this duty of making a Christian home. No excuse for failure. God will ask fathers on Judgment Day where are your children?

Fathers should take up authority over the children. Not say like many, "Let him go to Sunday School if he wishes." Children 10-18 years are too young to decide whether they want to go to church or not. Fathers should not ask them but take them, using force if necessary. This is a big weakness among many deaf fathers. We don't ask children if they want to go to school. We force them at least to age sixteen.

If fathers assert their authority children will respect them, they will not be provoked to anger and quarreling with father and mother. Paul says, "Provoke not your children to anger." How do parents do this? When they give the children too much freedom. When they fail to teach and correct their children with God's Word.

Don't provoke them to anger, but Paul says, "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Nurture and feeding. As parents feed the body and care for it, so they should feed their children's souls with God's Word daily in the home. "My Devotions", "Little Visits With God", Portals of Prayer", etc. The church has many books to help parents teach children.

Fathers should bring them to Sunday School and go to Bible Class giving children a good example. Not only nurture them but also Paul says, "admonish" them. "Admonition" means apply to them God's Word and correct them with God's Word.

When you see them doing and talking like unbelievers then correct them kindly and firmly. Materialism of the world, correct it!

Often our children know movie stars and baseball heroes better than they know Bible heroes and church leaders and missionaries. They know world history better than Bible or church history. Why? Parents have many world means of teaching children: TV, newspaper, Time, Life, and Look. But where are the religious books and papers? We have a nice Church library, but not many use it.

Our children grow up and leave the church and parents are surprised. I am not surprised! I know why. We often fail to nurture and admonish our children in the Lord Jesus. We teach them many things but not about the crucified One, and His Church.

Surely we must make ourselves humble before God and confess our failures with the children. But let us not despair. He is merciful and kind. Ask forgiveness in the name of Jesus and with His help resolve today to make your home a Christian home.

Amen.