Key Text: 1 Samuel 3:13 KJV - For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

Eli was a priest of the Lord and he had two sons; Hophni and Phinehas who became vile because they were not trained in the ways of God. While the priest was busy serving the Lord, and ministering to the people his children were left to themselves. He failed in his responsibility to train them up in the ways of the Lord. Although he was faithful keeping the vineyards of others, he failed to keep his own vineyard - Songs of Solomon 1:6.

The child of a minister does not automatically become a good child. A minister who understands that life is better than ministry will make out time for his children to bring them into subjection with all gravity. Failure to do this disqualifies him from overseeing the Church of God. There are cases however, where children reject the training of their parents.

As a parent, you must pay close attention to the upbringing of the children that God has placed in your custody. They must be restrained so that they are not misled by the foolishness in their heart and the peer group pressure around them. As an overseer, you are required to observe them, reprove them, correct them and instruct them in righteousness. 

Prayer: O Lord, help me to be a responsible parent to your children under my care, in Jesus' name. Amen. 

Reflection: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it - Proverbs 22:6.