The Children For Christ by Andrew Murray

In the words of our psalm, children are invited to come and learn what
the secret of a happy life is. The call appeals to the desire for happiness:
‘Who is he that would see good?’ The teacher promises to show the path
to the enjoyment of true well-being. That path is, `Depart from evil, and
do good.’ God has so ordered our nature that well-being will follow
well-doing: to do good is the sure way to see good.
But our inspired teacher goes further. He not only tells of our seeing
good and doing good, but would teach us the secret of being good. This
human science cannot teach. It may speak of the value of uprightness
and purity in the inner motive to make conduct really good; it cannot
show us what the true, the only pure and purifying motive is. The
Psalmist tells us, `Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you
the fear of the Lord.’ The fear of the Lord — this is the beginning of all
wisdom and goodness. It is doing what we do, unto the Lord, for His
sake and as obedience to Him; it is our personal relation to God that
makes conduct really good. To fear God — this is being good; then
follows doing good; then seeing good.
Christian parents have in this call, `Come, ye children, hearken unto
Me,’ words prepared for them by the Holy Spirit to use with their
children. They are God’s ministers to teach the children the fear of the
Lord, the path to the true, the highest good. Let us try and take the
lessons home to ourselves that we have to give them.
To begin with the lowest, ‘seeing good’: `What man is he that desires
life, and loves many days, that he may see good?’ Let parents not be
afraid of promising their children that it shall be well with them if they
do indeed fear God. With a Creator of infinite goodness and wisdom it
cannot be otherwise: doing right and pleasing Him must bring blessing
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