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Last Updated on : Saturday, October 11, 2014

 

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Chapter 7

Lois and Eunice


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LOIS and Eunice are Godly women, whose work is brought under our notice by the apostle PauL He speaks of them as possessing "unfeigned faith," from which it is evident that they adorned the doctrine of Christ. Of the various ways in which their faith manifested itself we have no direct record. We have, however a very strong inference of one direction which their work took in Paul's statement concerning the faith of Timothy. This he directly connects with the faith of the two sisters, "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice." Faith is no heritage naturally transmitted from parent to child, "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." Therefore, the only way in which the faith of Lois and Eunice could be transmitted to Timothy would be by implanting the truths of scripture in his young mind. This conclusion is borne out by the statement of the apostle: "From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures," 2 Tim. 3:15. God Himself laid down the plan to be pursued. "These words ... shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up." How faithfully Lois and Eunice carried out these instructions. Timothy is a testimony. Paul might well commend these sisters for their faith. Few things require greater faith than the training of children in things spiritual. The work is so slow and tedious, and results are so imperceptible. The temptation to hand the burden over to others and engage in more expeditious work is great. Those who feel thus tempted should take courage from the case of Lois and Eunice, and recognise, as they must have done, that the teaching of children is a divinely imposed task. It is not God's will that we should preach to others and leave our own children to perish from lack of knowledge, or want of timely and wise reproof. Some persuade themselves that they are not adapted for teaching. God does not countenance this non-adaptability. His command has gone forth: teach your young women and your children; and He expects the custodians of His truth to qualify themselves for the work. God made it a ground of rebuke to certain ones that when they ought to have been teachers they themselves stood in need of being taught. Did ever anyone find herself unable to teach a child that with what she herself was thoroughly familiar - provided of course it was within the child's capacity? Surely not. If we had mastered Bible lessons and narrative as completely as we have mastered the alphabet and multiplication table, we should not experience any insurmountable difficulty in imparting the knowledge to others. Lois and Eunice appear to have kept young Timothy's education under their own supervision. In this we should do well to follow them. The principle contained in the words: "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge," it is perilous to depart from. Let us not go in opposition to it by placing our children where they will imbibe the divinely abhorred fables of Christendom. We cannot make the paths for the young feet too straight. "train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." Lois and Eunice were greatly rewarded for their labour, and doubtless they will be still more so in the day of judgment. Happy shall we be if we follow in their footsteps, that we may participate in a like reward.

 

 


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