The Promises of Scripture

Train them remembering continually the promises of Scripture.

"You have a plain promise on your side,'Train up your child in the way he should go, and when he is old he shall not depart from it.' (Prov.22:6) Think what is is to have a promise like this...

"Think who it is that promises. It is not the word of a man, who may lie or repent; it is the word of the King of kings who never changes...

"Think,too, what the promise contains, before you refuse to take comfort from it. It speaks of a certain time when good training shall especially bear fruit,--'when a child is old.' Surely there is comfort in this. You may not see with your own eyes the result of careful training, but you know not what blessed fruits may not spring from it, long after you are dead and gone..

"'Cast thy bread upon the waters,' saith the Spirit, 'for thou shalt find it after many days' (Eccles. 11:1) Many children, I doubt not, shall rise up in the day of judgment, and bless their parents for good training, who never gave any signs of having profited by it during their parents' lives. Go forward then in faith, and be sure that your labour shall not be altogether thrown away. Three times did Elijah stretch himself upon the widow's child before it revived. Take example from him and persevere."

 ~ From the Duties of Parents, J. C. Ryle, See the first post in this series.
[There are so many encouragements and hopeful words in this short segment. Mr. Ryle has a main purpose here of helping to guard against parental discouragement in the course of the proper training of children. He's not saying we can do things our way and cling to the promise of this verse. But he is saying we have hope in it if we persevere in the right way. We do our best in following His precepts. He brings the fruit eventually. But we must sow. ~ mr]