Billy Sunday, 1914 [courtesy of the Library of Congress]
Billy Sunday is pretty colorful character from the pages of Christian history. There are many things from his ministry that I would probably not duplicate, but God obviously choose to use him for a season for His ultimate glory.
This morning I came across a quote from him that caught my attention:
“If you want to drive the devil out of the world, hit him with a cradle instead of a crutch.”
Not a bad motto. Mr. Sunday and I might not agree on the approach of how to reach children but we certainly agree on the outcome.
From Psalm 127
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.3 Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Hi Paul,
This is a good quote, but one Billy did not live out. His life is a challenge for all men in the Lord’s Service – we must remember our first ministry is to our family. A family is a minister’s primary congregation.
Blessings to the Butler home!
You’re absolutely right. Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon problem…I think of Eli and his sons and King David and his son Absalom–just to name a few scriptural examples. I am very challenged by the lives of godly men who’s children are so far from Him.
I know that I cannot make my kids faithful followers of Christ, but at the same time I am confident in the promises of scripture that He will reward faithful shepherding for multi-generational blessing to His glory.
Thanks for the good word.