November 23
1 Corinthians 16:1-24; Acts 19:21-20:6; Romans 1:1-32
It all starts out simple enough, after all they are so cute and dependent on us. Pouring our love and our lives into our children is natural. But, like every other relationship this is a picture of the more important relationship between our Heavenly Father and us. When you realize this, it becomes obvious how we often get things wrong. These cute little babies grow into children who go to school and engage in various activities. This is where some of the mistake or reversal begins, when parents, whether they admit it or not begin to deify or serve at the altar of their children. It's not necessarily the time spent, it is where the minds of parents are most invested. Are they toward God and serving Him, or our children and serving them. Bumper stickers are placed on cars about their being an honor roll student, or the college they got into. They achieve competence in a sport and they are treated and exalted as though they are the MVP of a professional team. Then they get married and have children. By this time most parents don't realize the god like status they have placed on their children. Many parents will give up their jobs, give up their homes, give up their churches, give up their service to God, all to serve their gods, their children. They will explain that everyone else is doing it, that their children work so hard (as though they themselves did not and do not). Oddly enough, when it comes time that the parents now need help due to illness, disability, or simple wear and tear, their gods no longer see their usefulness. They now see those that worshipped them now as a burden. Seeking not to invest too much of their time or money they offer trinkets to those that worshipped them their whole lives. This of course is an over-generalization, with many exceptions, but, unless one is careful and not blinded, this is the course of worshipping false gods. No, we do not often erect metal and wooden statues. But please don't diminish our gods of flesh and blood.
We read in Romans 1 how Paul speaks openly about what we should do, and the condemnation we all deserve for the sinful activity that we are all guilty of in one form or another. We read in 1:16-17, "For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life." It is faith. It is our proper relationship between us the children, and God, our Father. We read how this gets distorted in 1:21-23, "Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles." This sin, or "missing the mark (an archery term defining sin)" if not corrected leads to 1:24-25, "So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen." A partial list of what this looks like is given in 1:29-30, followed by a summation in 1:32, "They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."
This is not some esoteric letter written to others almost 2000 years ago. Paul is putting his fingers on your chest right now. We cannot embark on the journey of faith without understanding our fallen nature. As long as we falsely believe that we have it all under control, that how we have lived and continue to live is just perfect, then repentance will not occur. Without repentance for our fallen nature, our trust is misapplied onto ourselves, rather than coming before God, in faith, and in humility, ready and willing to embark on the proper relationship between the created and the Creator. For we are not "pretty good", but sinners. We are not "good enough" to one day live in God's home, heaven. In fact, we the children should seek that relationship in which we, one day move to where our Father lives, rather than expecting the Father to go down to our level, as we see things as right and wrong. The exaltation of our children is wrong, plain and simple. We are given children for multiple reasons, among them that we learn the proper direction of who respects who. Our children seek our advice and respect us. We should love our children, just as God loves His children. Though no human should ever worship another human, I see way too much in the way of parents worshipping their children. This is not healthy, and it destroys the picture that God established from the beginning of humanity. We must all self-reflect on this. Just as there was still time for the people in Paul's day to stop worshipping their gods of metal and wood, there is still time for you to stop worshipping your children and start worshipping God, as He deserves. Serve Him, not your children. Paul is speaking to us, may we heed his advice.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: