"A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother." (Proverbs 10:1)

What determines whether a son turns out to be wise or foolish? What are the factors that determine whether he becomes a John or a Judas?

Parental training is certainly one important consideration. This includes a thorough grounding in the sacred Scriptures. The sanctifying influence of the Word cannot be overemphasized.

It includes a home that is fortified by prayer. The mother of an outstanding evangelical preacher attributed his preservation from moral and doctrinal evil to the fact that she "wore out her knees in prayer for him."

It means the use of firm discipline so that the .child learns to obey and to submit to authority. We hear loud outcries today against strict discipline, but more lives have been wrecked by indulgence than by the use of the rod (Proverbs 13:24; Proverbs 23:13-14).

It means providing the child with the security of knowing he is loved. Discipline must be administered as an act of love and not of temper.

It means that the parents must provide a living example of what they profess. Hypocrisy in religion has proved a stumbling block to many children of Christian parents.

But then the child's will is also involved. When he leaves home, he is free to make his own decisions. Often children brought up in the same home under the same conditions turn out differently.

Two facts of life have to be faced. One is that most people have to get a taste of the world for themselves. The other is that most people prefer to learn through shame and disgrace rather than through wise counsel.

Wise parents do not pressure their children into making a profession of faith. If children want to come to the Lord, they should be encouraged. But if they are talked into a false profession, then abandon that profession in later years, they are harder to win for Christ.

If Christian parents have done their best to raise a child in the fear and admonition of the Lord, only to have the child later make shipwreck, what then? For one thing they should remember that the last chapter hasn't been written. No case is too difficult for the Lord. By continuing earnestly in prayer and by keeping channels of communication open many have lived to see their prodigal return. In other cases, the prayers of parents have been answered after they themselves have gone home to be with the Lord.