A MOTHER said to her little boy, “Bring your sister into the house; the dew is falling, and she will take cold.”
Now, this little boy did not want to obey his mother’s command, and yet he was afraid to act in open disobedience. If he had wanted to obey his mother, he would have taken his sister, and gone promptly into the house. Instead of that he pulled her roughly by the hand; and when she cried, he called to his mother and said, “Sister won’t come.”
“Bring her, then,” was the next command, and the little boy brought her to the door-sill, and set her down.
The mother had now gone out, and there was no one to say for the third time,
“Take your little sister into the house,” so she soon crept out again, playing upon the cold door-stone, and among the damp grass, until mother came home, and when the little boy was reproved for disobedience, he answered in this way,
“I did mind you, I brought her in, as I was told. You did not say, ‘shut the door,’ and she crept out again.”
Was that obedience, little reader? No it was wicked, determined disobedience at heart, and a poor half-way obedience of action, and what do you think was the result? The dear little sister was attacked with croup, and in a few days died. This was a dreadful result indeed, and one which through life must be remembered, — sadly, painfully remembered by that little boy.
Let each dear boy and girl examine his heart, and ask himself, “How often have I failed in obedience to mother or father?”
Kindly turn to 2 Timothy 3:2,2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (2 Timothy 3:2) and there you will find, being “disobedient to parents” is one of the marks of the last days. This is a great sin in the sight of God, who says in His Word,
Ah, I suppose everyone who reads this, will remember some time when he or she sinned in this way; for Satan is ever tempting us, and disobedience is one of the sins he gets children most easily to fall into. Do not go on any longer in your sins, but come to Jesus; He loves you, He died for you, and He will save you.
ML 12/27/1925