A double obligation rested upon you, Brother B, as a minister of God, to rule well your own house and bring your children into subjection. But you have been pleased with their aptness and have excused their faults. Sin in them did not appear very sinful. You have displeased God and nearly ruined your children by your neglect of duty, and you have continued this neglect after the Lord had reproved and counseled you. The injury done to the cause of God by your influence as a family in the different places where you have lived has been greater than the good that you have accomplished. You have been blinded and deceived by Satan in regard to your family. You and your wife have made your children your equals. They have done about as they pleased. This has been a sad drawback to you in your work as a minister of Christ, and the neglect of your duty to bring your children into subjection has led to a still greater evil, which threatens to destroy your usefulness. You have been apparently serving the cause of God, while you have been serving yourself more. The cause of God has languished; but you have been earnestly figuring and planning how to advantage yourself, and souls have been lost through your neglect of duty. Had you, during your ministry, occupied a position to build up this work, had you set an example by serving the cause of God irrespective of your own interest, and become worn through your devotion to it, your course would be more excusable, though even then it would not be approved of God. But when your deficiencies have been so apparent in some things, and the cause of God has suffered greatly because of the example you have given by your neglect of duty in your family, it is grievous in the sight of God for you to be professedly serving the cause, yet making your own selfish interests prominent. {2T 620.4}

Den rige unge mand spurgte Jesus hvad han skulle gøre for at han kunne få evigt liv. Jesus henviste til hans Faders bud, fortalte ham at lydighed mod dem var nødvendig for hans frelse. Kristus fortalte ham at han kendte budene og at hvis han adlød, dem ville han få liv. Læg mærke til svaret: »Mester! det har jeg holdt alt sammen fra min ungdom af.« Jesus så på denne bedragne unge mand med ømhed og kærlighed. Han er ved at afsløre for ham at han ikke holder de bud han ellers var så overbevist om at han adlød. Jesus sagde til ham: »En ting mangler du; gå bort, sælg alt det, du har og giv det til de fattige, så skal du have en skat i himmelen; og kom så og følg mig!"