Category: Culture

Do you know?

Silva

In our knowing, do we know?

A problem may arise if we are not careful. It’s about “gospel.”  I’m afraid that in our knowing we might not know it.  This will look different for different people – at least initially.  Maybe some among us are not converted and that’s serious.  You may not ever have repented of your independence and rebellion against God.  You’d never considered Isaiah’s words when he said, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).  Think about that: if that’s true, then now is the time to turn to Jesus Christ and plead with God that He would credit Jesus’ perfection to you – and save your soul from the wrath of God.  If your parenting was changed because your heart was changed then Hallelujah!

For the rest, my fear is that familiarity with the gospel will breed contempt for it.  Maybe contempt is too strong; how about a passive kind of ho-hum attitude?  Do we believe that the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ was what we needed to be converted but, beyond that, we’re talking about something fundamentally different to actually live?  The Galatians did: 3:2-3.  If we hold this view, we may, in fact, not understand the gospel’s place in our lives.  If we misunderstand what it means to live in the gospel as converted Christians, then we risk living for the glory of something else.  The stakes are high!

We need to ask ourselves why we are interested in studying the Bible; say parenting, for example.  Let me oversimplify to make a point: are we more concerned about being equipped to parent or is our interest more about God?  Think about it.  I mean, clearly, parents need help parenting; no parent knows what in the world he’s doing while he’s doing it!  (The sheer number of parenting books published in the last decade (75K??) proves the hunger for help.)  But God apparently doesn’t believe that parenting-ignorance is our biggest issue (I know there are times when it feels like it!).  The fact that the Bible contains so few verses about such a significant subject proves that.

At the same time, it’s not as if God isn’t concerned about it either!  His message is different, even strange to us.  Paul preached this message to his churches.  We should take note because they were like us with pressing needs in every area of life: they were parents, employers, employees, children, friends, soldiers and artisans.  They all needed to know how and what to do.  They looked to Paul to provide help.  Yet, his message was:

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Ask the Lord to reveal your interests here.  Do you want to know Him as Paul prayed for his Ephesians brothers (1:15-19)?  Or do you just want to know how to better parent?  Desire to be a better parent less than you desire to know Jesus Christ; that the details of His life, the gospel, become your preoccupation – and that in which you bathe your family.

Sooo…college is it?

Silva

The Bible says many things about many things.  It seems reasonable to believe that all the eternally important things ARE in the Bible.  The rest, though meaningful, is not in the same category of importance.  I have interacted with many confessing Christians who regularly elevate things not in the Bible to apocalyptic importance.  Like kids and careers.

What about goals for our children?  Into what should we be aiming our children?  Back in the day of my youth and exuberance, college was it.  I-T.  It was the goal, it was the done deal, it was what was expected, it was the topic of conversation, it was the object of ridicule etc., etc.  Few were the ones who did not go to college.  Fewer were the ones who admitted that they really didn’t want to go.

That was then.  This is now.  Now, I have children.  The conversations I have about college these days are far different than they used to be.  I remember talking to a friend who didn’t ever go to college but seemed to be fitting into God’s plan just fine and thinking, “whoa, she didn’t go to college.”  That was the beginning of a conversation that endures regarding my kids and college.  Now, I’m not quite there yet so even these musings are theoretical.

Here’s an interesting article: Is College the Only Option?

I guess the question is should we just assume that university is a done deal for our children?  “Of course he’s going to college!”  “Why, as soon as she graduates she’s off to college!”  That brings me back to how I started: the Bible and college.  Hmmm.  Strangely silent.  In fact, the silence is eerie.  The Bible does not tell me I must train my children to go to college.  It does not tell me that the key to my child’s future is college.

Instead, the world tells me that college is the place where 2/3 of churched children reject the faith they know.  If that is true, that’s a big deal.  There are surely many reasons for that tragic statistic but it isn’t necessarily reason not to send our kids to college.  God’s path for His children is often a valley that feels like death (see Psalm 23).

Parents are to prepare our children for the tasks that God has set before them.  That may mean sending them to college.  It may not.  We must certainly should ask  God if college is His plan for our children.  Of course, there are practical reasons to ask the question as the linked article tells us.  But, the greater question regards just to what is God calling our children?  We must pray and ask!

Nobody likes Underlings

Silva

I was thinking about kingdoms today.  Check out the basics:

God is King of His Kingdom – Psalm 24:7-10

7Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who is this King of glory?  The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle!   9 Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors that the King of glory may come in.  10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory!

Christ is the reigning and returning King – Revelation 19:15-16

15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Kingdoms and parenting go together.  God is King; we live in His kingdom.  We are underlings. Nobody likes underlings – least of all our children.  Have you ever thought of that?  Why don’t you like underlings?  First of all, they can tell us what to do since they are literally under someone else’s authority.  Secondly, they can’t make changes to the boss’ rules (we hate that).  Thirdly, we like access and power and underlings prevent us from both.

Our children are no different.  They are uber-underlings – think of that!  This is especially relevant once we consider what it actually means to live in God’s kingdom.  There are rules, you see.  There’s a standard for right and wrong (one that’s already completely written, by the way).  It is the law of God set forth in the Bible.

Let’s say little bubba or precious suzie-Q break the rules.  What have they done?  Two things.  First, they have disregarded the existing rules of the King.  They have acted as if He’s not really sitting on that Throne regarding all their thoughts, words and actions.  They have said, “There is no God” and have become as fools: Psalm 14:1.  Wow, do they need the Gospel.

But, no one likes an empty throne, so they do a second thing: they write new rules.  When little precious decides to snipe at her sister, she’s created a rule that says, “In my kingdom, sniping is allowed.”  When cheesy-grin boy grumbles at bed-time, he’s codified a new law, “In my kingdom, bedtime is when I say it is!”  Note to self: rules that we make are only ever good for just us.

We – parents (and all) – must live in light of these two kingdoms before we try to press our children for kingdom obedience, don’t we?  We have the same tendencies to ascend the throne, re-write the rules and rule kingdoms.  You love to be kings and queens and kingdom-rulers!

We must parent our children in light of these two constantly competing kingdoms: the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Me.  In the latter, I’m king and I make the rules and you’d better listen.  Yet, in the former, He is King and He is the best of Kings.  His rules – so wise and purposeful – can always do infinitely more good than rules we or our children create.