A Literal Devil? This is 2021 not 1321!

 “There is no devil in the first two chapters of the Bible and no devil in the last two chapters. Thank God for a book that disposes of the devil.”  Vance Havner 

   During the autumn of 1944 Germany had been beaten back behind its borders. The Nazi war machine was in tatters and the repeated bombing raids of the Allies all but assured that Hitler’s forces would never rise again. Around the perimeter of Germany’s borders, the Allies spread a thin line of forces. One person observed that Allied forces were was so scattered that a man could slip in between its lines without being observed. 

  All across Europe, there was celebration. Parties, dances, speeches all of them rejoicing in Germany’s defeat. The war was effectively over. The only problem was that somebody forgot to tell Hitler and Nazi Germany. 

  Even as his forces were being shattered and driven back Hitler was devising a plan for one last onslaught. Underground factories churned out more weapons, armament and ammunition. More of Germany’s young and old men were conscripted and trained for war. As Europe celebrated, Hitler conspired. His goal was not to drive back the Allies into the sea, as much as it was to divide the British to the North and the Americans to the South, so demoralizing them that they would sue for peace on his terms. Hundreds and thousands of men died because somebody forgot that the enemy still lived and that the war was not completely over.

  We have a much greater and more evil Enemy than a Hitler. His name is Satan. Intellectuals and those in academia are shocked that there are still people who believe in a literal Devil. After all, this is 2021, not 1321.

  If you do not believe in moral absolutes, if you believe that good and evil are relative and on a continuum, then it’s easy to scoff at a literal devil. When evil is relative, it quickly becomes a socially constructed concept, different for each culture and society. It’s held then that different cultures have varied ideas and beliefs about what constitutes “evil.” What is evil to some may well be acceptable and even valuable for others. Morality, good and evil become nothing more than an opinion a world flooded with them.

  To explain away evil or to suggest that it’s only a social construct or a psychological problem is impossible to rationalize away in light of some of the vile evils of just the last century. Was the Holocaust, the genocide of six million Jews who were systematically murdered, nearly two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population a sociological aberration? How could one witness Auschwitz or Treblinka or any other death camp and come to that conclusion? Or conclude it was a psychological failure not a moral one?

  What about Stalin’s Great Purge? How does one rationalize that evil is not real or there is no face of the Devil behind the large-scale repression of the peasantry or the ethnic cleansing by the Communist Party of the Soviet Union? After assessing twenty years of historical research in Eastern European archives, American historian, Timothy D. Snyder concluded that Stalin deliberately killed about 6 million, which rises to 9 million if foreseeable deaths arising from his heinous policies are taken into account.

  Is the Rwandan Genocide of a million souls, the Cambodian Genocide that butchered between 1.5 and 3 million people at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, or Mao’s Great Leap Forward that ultimately exterminated tens of millions, with death estimates ranging even between 15 and 55 million, making the Great Chinese Famine the largest one in human history just social constructs? Just ask the families of the 17 victims of Nikolas Cruz if evil is subjective? Ask them if there is no such thing as right or wrong?

  Evil has a face. Such depths of perversity can’t be explained without a literal Devil. Satan is the great deceiver. One of his greatest deceits is to convince people that he doesn’t really exist. But Satan really does exist, just as surely as God exists. He isn’t some vague, impersonal force; he is a real person—that is, he has a real personality. Just as you and I can think and make decisions and act, so Satan can think and make decisions and act. The difference is that everything he does is evil—without exception—because he is totally opposed to God.

  The Bible teaches that Satan is the number one enemy of God and mankind. Satan comes from a Hebrew word meaning adversary. Devil comes from an equivalent Greek word also meaning adversary or slanderer.

  Throughout Scripture Satan is known as “the ruler of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2); “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4); “one who has the power of death” (Heb. 2:14); “the cosmic powers of this present darkness” (Eph. 6:12); “the great dragon (Rev. 12:9); “the evil one” (Matt. 6:13); “the tempter (1 Thes. 3:5); the accuser of the people of God (Rev. 12:10); and “the father of lies” (John 8:44). But praise God, he is a defeated foe. Wise are the words of Ann Voskamp, “Satan prowls but he’s a lion on a leash.”

  While Satan is a very powerful, spiritual being who hates God and His people, he isn’t equal with God but is engaged in a constant battle against God. We must not take him lightly. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against…the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ”

  The most important truth that Christians need to remember is that Satan is a defeated foe. By His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus overcame all the powers of death and evil, and someday His victory will be complete.

  While skeptics deny the reality of Satan, Bible believers cannot. God’s Word warns us to be aware of his plans. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Believers must resist him vigilantly and steadfastly, aware of the reality of his plans to defeat us. When tempted, we must submit ourselves to the Lord, resist him and he will flee (James 4:7).

  A little girl was once asked how she defeats Satan. She said, “When Satan comes knocking at the door of my heart, I send God to answer the door. When Satan sees God, he says, “Oops, I am sorry, I must have the wrong house.” We can’s defeat Satan on our own. We need God’s strength to enable us to conquer him. We must fight Satan, but we must only fight Satan through the power of God proclaimed through His Word. The victory was won 2,000 years ago but we must be vigilant in the fight until Satan’s final defeat. We will win but only in our Savior’s power!

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Singing in the Dark

 “Music expresses that which cannot be said  

and on which it is impossible to be silent.”  Victor Hugo

  One of my favorite professors in Bible college was Dr. Edward Burckart. He was a very godly man and truly a gentle soul. Dr. Burckart was a gifted violinist and had studied at Julliard. During World War II he served in the army in Europe as a radar technician and I remember him sharing how the hymns of faith had gotten him through that difficult period of his life. 

  Our Heavenly Father created music. Read the Bible and you’ll find that Scripture is permeated with music. It can be powerful medicine for our souls. As Paul reminded the Colossians believers, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col. 3:16). While Scripture must be our first resource because it’s God’s inspired Word, godly music is a powerful tool to cry out to God with and can be used to minister to our hearts.

  If you’ve been a believer long then you know that the Christian life is a journey of mountains and valleys. Mountain tops are exhilarating, yet God uses the valleys in our lives for our good, yet they’re rarely pleasant. As I’ve walked through my own valleys, God has often used music to encourage and comfort my soul. Some years ago as we struggled with our son, Ben’s epilepsy, one of my favorite songs became Ron Hamilton’s Rejoice in the Lord. 

God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song. 

  Hamilton wrote that song immediately after losing an eye to cancer. He went on to use his new eye patch for God’s glory writing several albums geared to children as “Patch the Pirate.” The song is based on Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” 

  Nearly every pastor goes through dark periods in ministry. I know that I’ve gone through mine. I’ve thought a few times that there must be an easier life and was tempted to leave the ministry. During one of those periods Steve Green’s song, Find Us Faithful shored up my soul. 

O may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe,
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.

  When this pandemic first struck, I was in a terrible funk. Remember that the first news reports indicated that many were going to become terribly ill or die. I imagined losing many of my friends. I pictured burying some in our church family (wonderfully we’ve not lost a single person at church to Covid). It weighed very heavily on me and I didn’t sleep well for months. My song for that period was Twila Paris’s, God Is In Control.  

This is no time for fear. This is a time for faith and determination.
Don't lose the vision here. Carried away by the motion.
Hold on to all that you hide in your heart.

There is one thing that has always been true. It holds the world together.
God is in control. We believe that His children will not be forsaken.
God is in control. We will choose to remember and never be shaken.
There is no power above or beside Him, we know, God is in control.   

  During the past several months Jane and I have been walking through a dark valley. I’m glad that we don’t play records anymore because I’d have worn the record out. God has used two powerful songs to lift up my soul, Casting Crowns, Praise You In This Storm:

I was sure by now God, you would have reached down
And wiped our tears away. Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen," and it's still raining
As the thunder rolls. I barely hear your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you.” And as your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives And takes away.
And I'll praise you in this storm. And I will lift my hands
For you are who you are. No matter where I am.

  Praise You In This Storm was inspired by the band, Casting Crowns,  experience with a young girl, Erin Browning. Right around the time the band connected with Erin and her family, it had been discovered that this little girl had cancer and she soon died. According to lead vocalist Mark Hall, "Watching [Erin's mother] walk through this really showed me truth about my worship. Watching her walk through a real storm showed me that my worship was extremely situational.”

  Just one more…When we go through difficult times and valleys, we feel very alone. I know that I do. Sometimes the pain is so great we can’t share it or fear we’ll lose control of our emotions. During the past few months, the Lord has used Another In The Fire by Hillsong to remind me over and over again that I’m never alone. It’s based on Daniel 3 when three faithful Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon after they refuse to bow down to the king’s idolatrous image.

There was another in the fire. Standing next to me.
There was another in the waters. Holding back the seas.
And should I ever need reminding. Of how I’ve been set free.
There is a cross that bears the burden. Where another died for me.

  Another In The Fire is the personal testimony of worship leader, Chris Davenport, after learning his son had autism. Resolving to go on, despite his feelings and trust God though he was hurting so badly. He shares, “This is what faith's all about. It’s not about a fairy tale. It's not about everything working out. It's about becoming more like Jesus, no matter the cost.” 

  I’m thankful for Christian music. Much of it puts God’s eternal Word to a melody and helps me remember His truth. It’s a well of hope for parched souls. It reminds us to trust Him and keep praising Him. It helps me to keep on singing because I know that my Father truly is in control.

 Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

Food, Family and Lighting a Candle

 “A family can be the bane of one's existence. A family can also be most of the meaning of one's existence. I don't know whether my family is bane or meaning, but they have surely gone away and left a large hole in my heart.”  Keri Hulme

   Prior to reading most books, I read the book reviews. Because I love to cook and experiment with new recipes, I was intrigued by a book review in the July 17, 2021 issue of “World Magazine” about Life From Scratch by Sasha Martin. Over the course of 195 weeks, food writer and blogger, Sasha Martin set out to cook—and eat—a meal from every country in the world. As cooking unlocked the memories of her rough-and-tumble childhood and the loss and heartbreak that came with it, she became determined to find peace and elevate her life through the prism of food and world cultures. Sasha had a very hard early life. She never met her father who’d abandoned the family. Her mother lost custody of her two children, and Sasha and her brother ended up in a foster family. Her brother committed suicide. Sasha lived with the foster family in Europe, acted out, and moved back to the United States. She graduated college and attended cooking school. An internship brought her to Tulsa, Oklahoma where she fell in love and embarked on a project: cooking a meal from every country in the world. The project led to this engaging memoir with recipes. In it, she depicts the joy and chaos of her early life, shows the power of food to break down barriers, arouse an appetite for adventure, cultivate community, and work to piece together a fractured family. 

  Though witty, warm, and poignant, Sasha Martin’s memoir about cooking her way to healing, it was sad to read of a child experiencing so much family pain. What’s most heartbreaking is that her family history is becoming more and more the present norm in American life. 

  Today some 16 million children live with their single mothers. Another three million live with their single fathers. 25% of children under 18 live with single moms; 4% were living with single dads. 1300 new stepfamilies are formed each day. 40% of families in the U.S. are blended with at least one partner having a child from a previous relationship before marriage. 

  Today 53% of U.S. adults ages 18 and older are married, down from 58% in 1995. Over the same period, the share of Americans cohabiting has risen from 3% to 7%. Taken together, six-in-ten Americans are either married or living with a partner. Frequently underage children are in those homes  

  About 1 in 8 children (8.7 million) aged 17 or younger live in a household with at least one parent with a substance use disorder, the recurrent use of alcohol or other drugs or both, that results in significant impairment. 

  The cost and deep pain of a lack of stable home and emotional stability on children is very high. The ramifications can last a lifetime.

  Birthdays are times of reflection for me (today is mine). When I was 10. my mother was killed in a car accident and I was raised by a single Dad, who though financially successful, was a prescription drug addict. The truths of Psalms 18:30, “As for God, His way is perfect” and Joseph’s words to his murderous yet now repentant brothers are still true, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Gen. 50:20). But I carry my scars as many of you also do.

  One of my favorite quotes is, “It’s better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Methodist pastor, William L. Watkinson in a sermon titled “The Invincible Strategy” made that powerful statement. His sermon was later reprinted in a periodical called “China’s Millions” to challenge Christians about the great need for missions in China.

  The “millions” today are all around us but they’re not just in China. They live next door, work beside you or even sit near you in church. The fragmentation of the family carries a high price. It’s why many see a therapist or are on medication for emotional issues. The lack of family stability often has long-lasting pain. What can we do?

  First, we need to be biblically honest about our own family history and the baggage that comes with it. Often what is our “normal,” isn’t. When I lived with Dad and Mom Cummins in my early twenties, I was shocked to learn that they didn’t fight all of the time (I only remember a handful of disagreements). They actually problem-solved and dearly loved each other.

  Christmas was one of my bigger shocks. Every Christmas growing up, my Dad lost his temper with my Mom and she’d end up in her bedroom crying. It was my “normal.” To actually have a “Merry Christmas” was a bit like being transported to Mars for me.

  Many of us carry harmful relational baggage and don’t know it. We need godly friends to come alongside us, be honest with us, and help us. We need the truth of God’s Word to come into our hearts and work its way inside out so we become more like Jesus, who is the standard of normal.

  Second, we must have more grace and patience with each other. We need to walk a mile in their shoes. That simply means trying to consider and understand the other person’s perspectives, experiences or even family history before making judgments about them. Often we’re so self-focused, we neglect to take the time to understand where others are coming from. We need believers that take seriously Philippians 2:4, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

  Third, we need more spiritually mature Christians to disciple and mentor younger ones. None of us are perfect, so please don’t wait until you’ve “arrived.” In our church family, we have young couples and parents who could use the prayer, encouragement, and support of those who’ve already traveled their road. They don’t need scolding over inconsequential concerns. Many of them just need to know that someone has their back, is praying for them and encouraging them.

  While we can’t change the world, we can make a difference in ours. It’s what God has called us to do! It’s time to light some candles. It’s an opportunity to make a generational difference by assisting younger believers to dine on the fruit of the Spirit in their marriages and families. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

"I Think You're Going to Need a Better Dictionary."

 

“The worst thing one can do with words is to surrender them.” George Orwell 

  When Lewis Carroll’s Alice goes Through the Looking-Glass, she finds a world turned upside down, especially in regard to words. Trying to have a sensible conversation only makes her head hurt. Nowhere is this more apparent than in her meeting with Humpty Dumpty, who takes nothing she says at face value and loves a good argument: “There’s glory for you!” 

  “But ‘glory’ doesn’t mean a ‘nice knock-down argument,’” Alice objected.

  “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”

  “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”

  “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”

   “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean…” Apparently, someone needs to get the memo to Steven Spielberg and the Discovery Channel that Jaws and Shark Week have been filleted. Two Australian states — Queensland and New South Wales — have softened their tone when it comes to the language of reporting shark attacks. From now on, sharks will “bite,” not “attack,” and when humans have a less-than-ideal meeting with them, even if they end up fish food, it’s now to be referred to as an “encounter” or an “incident.” Changing the meaning of a word doesn’t take its “bite away,” especially if you’re the one attacked. 

  Contemporary culture attempts to reshape and remold words as if they’re Play-Doh. They’re not. The Bible is a book made up of words – words that have a clear meaning. 

  Some years ago I had a conversation with a man about truth. My friend related that there was no such thing as truth and so the words in the Bible could have virtually any meaning. I replied that words have meaning. To which he responded, “Orange may be orange to you but it could be purple to me.” Yet even the biggest skeptic looks both ways when they cross a busy street. Words have meaning and you may redefine a speeding car but when you end up as a hood ornament, it won’t matter.

   Over the course of the last year, we’ve been inundated with “Trust the Science.” It’s ironic that many of the same “trust the science” advocates tell us that we’re on the wrong side of history to refer to pregnant women. The Atlantic recently had an article “The Culture War Over ‘Pregnant People’.” Even the ACLU is willing to sacrifice their own. A few weeks ago they altered the wording of a Ruth Bader Ginsberg quote to include gender-neutral pronouns. On the first anniversary of the Supreme Court Justice’s death, they tweeted: “The decision whether or not to bear a child is central to a [person’s] life, to [their] well-being and dignity ... When the government controls that decision for [people], [they are] being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for [their] own choices.”

  Uhm, ACLU, trust the science. People don’t have abortions, women do. People don’t have babies, women do. Even someone as progressive as Ruth Bader Ginsberg knew that. This isn’t science, it’s sociology and insanity. FYI: It’s not “reproductive rights” when life is terminated not produced.

  None of this is new. Other societies drunk on their own self-importance and intellectual insanity attempted to alter the meaning of words. They failed. The French Revolution attempted to wipe out gender distinctions with the genderless term “citizen.” Incidentally, they also failed when they attempted to change a seven-day week to a ten-day one. The Communists attempted it by calling everyone the genderless “comrade.” 

  Because of a dictionary that is reputedly fluid, many today are skeptical of anyone’s claims to know the Truth. Some want to abandon the hunt for truth altogether, declaring a universal cease-fire on all truth claims. But can we really live without truth? Philosopher Roger Scruton rightly argues, “All discourse and dialogue depend upon the concept of truth. To agree with another is to accept the truth of what he says; to disagree is to reject it.” In other words, we can’t even talk to each other without a foundation of truth. Truth can’t be true if it’s true for you but not true for me. That makes words and communication an impossibility.

  Christians must be committed to clear definitions of words and truth. John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” God is the Creator of words and gave them meaning. We must not surrender to cultural pressure or shaming. When we do, we lose our voice in the culture and dishonor the God of truth. Yet, there will be growing pressure along with the threat of being canceled.

  We must not alter words to be more acceptable. Even some Christians rightfully appalled at the horrors of racism declare that it’s only correct to say that “Black lives matter” and they do. Scripture though is our standard, not the values of the day. God had to rebuke the early church that had bought into only “Jewish lives matter.” Read the New Testament. It’s clear that “all lives matter” because Jesus died for all people. To discriminate or be prejudiced toward someone because of their ethnicity, disabilities or economic status is sin. It’s a falsehood to suggest, as some in the heat of the cultural disarray have, that “white people can never call black people racist.” Racism is evil whether it comes from the heart and lips of a white person, black person, Asian, Hispanic, etc. It may make good press but the glossing over of evil won’t stand before the throne of King Jesus.

  Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride had wise words for our culture and today’s Christian, “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” God is the Creator of life and language. What He says it means, it means…and that my friend is the final word!

 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

What is a Christian Education?

 

“Education is simply the soul of a society 
as it passes from one generation to another”  G.K. Chesterton

 

  School has started for another year. With the increased secularization of our culture and that too often schools focus on social agendas rather than education basics, (the 3 R’s – reading, writing, and arithmetic), parents struggle with the best options of schooling for their children. In spite of the rhetoric of some Christian leaders, God’s Word doesn’t designate one format of education as being the “right” one. 

 The three most common options in America are public, private (for Christians usually a Christian school,) or homeschooling. All three have both advantages and disadvantages. What God’s Word does clearly teach is parental responsibility for the spiritual education of their children.

  Understandably, Christian parents want to protect their children from evil worldviews and influence. It can’t be done. The first family had a son with an anger issue that devolved into cold-blooded murder.

  Some years ago M. Night Shyamalan produced a movie, The Village, with a powerful biblical message – you can’t isolate yourself or your family from depravity. And God doesn’t want us to live in a bubble or raise our children in one. We are to be in the world, yet not of the world. That’s where God’s power shines through. Parents then must evaluate their situation and their child’s needs to choose what will give their child the greatest potential for a Christ-honoring adulthood.

  A ubiquitous contaminant that has little to do with your child’s spiritual future is FOMO (fear of missing out or fear your kids will miss out). Your child does not need sports, music, or dance lessons, etc. Your child needs a biblical worldview. Your child needs you and lots of you consistently interacting with you. Please don’t cave to the parental peer pressure of over-involving your children.

  This may shock you, but no child is deprived because they never went to Disney. Many committed parents in seeking to provide for their child, pack their lives with activity “because everyone else is doing it,” when what their child needs is more parental love, influence, and interaction.

  One of the clearest passages about a biblical education is Deuteronomy 6:5-7: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” The most important educational decision you make for your children is to choose to love and obey God yourself. They learn more about having a heart for God from you than anywhere else. They learn more about what has true value, marriage, parenting, worldview from you. It begins with “these words that I command YOU…shall be on your heart.” If God’s commands aren’t first on your heart, it’s doubtful they’ll be on your child’s heart.

  Here are some simple suggestions. Pray for your child’s teacher and school. We do more on our knees than anywhere else. Let their teacher know that you appreciate them. Attend parent-teacher conferences and school events. Be supportive and encouraging.

  Determine to not undermine their teacher. Be slow in jumping to conclusions about a teacher or what happened at school. One wise teacher sent home this note, “If you promise to not believe everything that your child says happened at school, I promise to not believe everything that your child says happens at home.” On a very rare occasion, you may have to intervene. In the future, your child is going to have bad bosses, neighbors, and co-workers. They must learn to stand alone. It’s safer to learn that while you’re nearby to support and pick them up.

  Limit the biggest educator today’s child has. We have children who are media addicts. The average child spends between 50-75 hours a week in front of a screen. It’s easy to plop them in front of a screen but the long-term outcome is moral decay.

  Screens are amusement. A-muse means to “not think.” What’s lost by constant amusement are rational thinking skills and a biblical worldview.

  For example, if you’re children speak rudely or disrespectfully, listen to what their favorite media choices are modeling about communication. Most movies/TV shows get laugh lines for rude language. If your child is developing a potty mouth and didn’t learn it from you, it’s probable they’re learning it from the media. Pull the plug or at least limit it, just as you do sugar in their diet.

  Most earthly worldviews are very subtle. While most parents are on high alert for the boogeymen of socialism or sex education, they’re obtuse to subtle godless worldviews that are readily accepted. Most miss that we subtly teach our children the myth that success comes with the A’s.

  We value appearance. The Bible teaches that each of us is designed by the Creator. When we value appearance that fits our values of attractiveness yet disdain those who are “ugly ducklings,” we’re criticizing the Maker. Beauty is subjective, shallow, and temporary. While we need to care for what God has entrusted to us, a person with character pleases God whereas a “beautiful” one with little heart for God does not (Prov. 31:30).

  We value ability. Some have natural athletic gifts or other skills. We must remember that they’re all God-given. A lost world heroizes the athletic and talented. Scripture honors faithfulness, humility, and a heart for God.

  We value academics. Who gives us intelligence? God. Every child should be encouraged to do the best they can and develop what God has entrusted to them. But a sanitation worker who loves God and uses the I.Q. God entrusted to them is more pleasing to God than an M.D. who thinks he or she is self-made and worships at the altar of self.

  Appearance, ability, and academics are all gifts from God (James 1:17) and can easily be taken back by the Giver.

  Parents, you need God’s wisdom and guidance to choose the best options for your child. Remember though that the greatest teacher they have is You. As you’re a committed follower of your Heavenly Father, they’ll learn what they truly need to know for life and eternity.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.