| “My son, forget not my laws, but let thine heart keep my commandments” (Proverbs 3:1).
The best time to tackle a minor problem is before he grows up. The Christian world is in a deep sleep. Nothing but a loud voice will awaken them out of it. Loose wires give out no musical notes, but when their ends are fastened, the piano, the harp, the guitar, or the violin is born. Free steam drives no machine, but harnessed and confined with piston and turbine, it makes possible the great world of machinery. An unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up and you can generate sufficient power to light an entire city. Strings that are tightened, steam which is captured, rivers that are harnessed, and children that are disciplined can produce astonishing results. Roy Lessin said, “Rules for children are like a pole that is placed alongside a tall plant growing in the garden. The pole is not there to stop the plant’s development, but to help guide it into maturity and productivity.” Fathers are commanded to put those poles in place. It gives him the joy of watching his sons become mature and productive in his old age. What a tragic waste of potential when fathers do not “bend” their children toward God. Without a plumb-line there is no real joy. History teaches us that the very survival of a nation can depend upon a child having a father who is a moral relative. A dad who is a moral relative knows how to draw the lines in the necessary places.
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