gen 17v18 O That Ishmael Might Live Before Thee
"O THAT ISHMAEL MIGHT LIVE BEFORE THEE!"
Genesis 17:18
We
must leave our families, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters
in the hands of God. If they are saved, like all other sinners, they must be
saved by the sovereign will and pleasure of God, by his free grace in Christ.
Your family no more deserves God's grace than mine. And my family no more
deserves God's grace than any other man's. Our children, like all others, are
children of wrath, deserving God's just punishment for their sins. If God saves
our families, we will serve him with gladness. And if God does not save our
families, we will still go on serving him with gladness. Even with regard to
our beloved families, we must, like Eli, say, "It is the Lord: let him do
what seemeth him good" (I Sam.
However,
we must make certain that none in our households perish through any neglect or
carelessness of our own. It is a tragic fact that
There
is nothing selfish about exercising special care for your own family and
earnestly seeking your own family's salvation. In God's providence, your family
is the first, primary sphere of your responsibility. It is not wrong, but most
natural and proper, that your desire for the salvation of others should, first
of all, be toward your own family. Those who live under your roof have special
claims upon your care. God has not reversed the laws of nature. He has
sanctified them by the rule of his grace. It is only right that Abraham should
pray for Ishmael, that Hannah should pray for Samuel, and that David should
pray for Solomon. It is only right that Andrew should first find his brother,
Simon, and bring him to the Savior, and that Eunice
should teach her son Timothy the way of salvation and life in Christ. Let every
believer resolve, by the grace of God, to do whatever can be done to bring his
or her family into the kingdom of heaven.