When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
(1 Samuel 8:1-3 NIV)
Samuel was a well-respected leader and everyone in Israel attested to that. Sadly, his sons didn’t turn out like him. Even though he named one Joel meaning, “the LORD is God,” and the second Abijah meaning, “The LORD is my Father,” the two sons “did not follow [their father’s] ways.” Nothing about them could make one admit, “Like father, like son.” Oftentimes, parents are held responsible for the way their children turn out, and in most cases, it’s true. However, like Samuel, there are godly parents whose children don’t necessarily turn out well. Samuel did the best that he could to raise his sons in God’s ways and often times, that’s all we can do too.
Do your best to set a good example for your children.
Rising with the Son 