HOW our picture speaks to us of the loving interest the mother takes in the instruction of her children, and also, of the attention shown by two of them.
It reminds us of those verses in 2 Tim. 3:14, 15: “Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and, hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou halt known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”
May you, dear children, be eager to hear what God has to say to you in His word, for there we get instruction for our whole path, and it shows us the way of salvation.
I expect most of our readers have learned before this how we can be saved—that God has provided the Saviour and all we are asked to do is to accept Jesus, God’s beloved Son, as our own Saviour. If we have done so, it is for us to learn how we should act, by looking at the Lord Jesus in His path while in this world.
He was a little child, a servant and a master, so we can have His life as an example for us.
Most of my readers are children and let us see what the Scriptures tell us of the Lord when He was twelve years of age. Turn to Luke 2:41-62. There we learn that He went up to Jerusalem with His parents and remained behind when His parents were returning to Nazareth. They went back to look for Him and found Him among the teachers of the Scriptures, hearing them and asking them questions. His delight was in God’s word and He took the place of a learner, although He (being God) was able to teach them. So that portion would teach us one lesson, and that is never to take the place of teaching an older person, even although he may not be correct in what he is telling; the place of the child is to listen and ask questions. Then again, when His mother found Him and told Him how they had been seeking Him sorrowing, He did not answer His mother. in an unkind and disrespectful way, but simply said: “How is it that ye sought Me? Wist ye not (or did you not understand) that I must be about My Father’s business?” His answer showed He was in a proper place, and they should have known where He was. Then He went down with them to Nazareth, and was subject unto them. That is, He obeyed His parents—He did what they told Him. If we do the opposite of these things when we are children, we will be very displeasing to the Lord; and He loves us too much to let us go on in wrong ways without punishment.
May you, dear children, first accept Jesus as your own Saviour, and then learn His ways down here, and ask Him to enable you to be as He was.
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.” Prov. 1:8.
ML 01/03/1904