Who's YOUR King?

 

“Life is about making your own happiness and living by your own rules.”  Aimee Mullins

 

It’s a plot often found in history and portrayed in movies of having two monarchs vying for the same throne. Alexandre Dumas, in his final installment of the Three Musketeers series, The Man in the Iron Mask fictionalizes a tale of the powerful and corrupt King Louis XIV. According to his book,  Louis XIV had a twin brother imprisoned deep in the Bastille. This twenty-three-year-old prisoner known only as Philippe was forced to wear an iron mask and had been imprisoned for eight years. He has no knowledge of his true identity or told what crime he’s committed. He’s imprisoned by the king to protect his throne. There can only be one king.
  This morning as we continue our series in 1 Samuel, we find King Saul hunting down David, for fear that David will attempt to take his throne. There can only be one king. Today is also Palm Sunday. David’s future son, Jesus Christ, entered Jerusalem as Israel’s Messiah. He is the one true king. With more than one king there is chaos and anarchy.
  Ours is a world of chaos because when Jesus is not king, there is misery. Yet, there are many false kings in the world. You could call them idols. That false king philosophy is what Aimee Mullins is purporting, “Life is about making your own happiness and living by your own rules.” It’s a worldview that ultimately leads to despair. False kings promise everything yet leave us empty in the end. There can only be one king.
  The conflict of the ages is to have other kings, any king but Jesus. Luke 19:14 records this insurrection against having Jesus as King, “We do not want this man to reign over us.” Yet, you’ll quickly discover that if Jesus is not King, we enthrone a false king. Even Christians who have sworn allegiance to King Jesus do this. Here are some of the more common ones:
  Self. Our culture is awash with selfishness. Too often it seeps into the church with what Eugene Peterson describes as the “replacement trinity,” my wants, my needs, and my desires. While those have their place, they’re usurpers who ultimately steal our joy.
  God created us. Jesus died for us and ransomed us from the slave market of sin. The only king who will bring fulfillment to us is the One who knows us and loves us. Self must be dethroned. It’s a cruel tyrant. Only when Jesus is Lord is selfishness dethroned.
  Money. All around the globe wealth is thought to be a savior. We encourage young people to go to college and get an education. That’s good yet the motivation is so that we can get money to have all of the things that we believe will make us happy. We have a terrible struggle with preventing money from being our king.
  Living for money is a cruel taskmaster. Money is a good gift from God, but it is not God. Our retirement accounts, stock portfolios, and benefits packages don’t save. Only Jesus can save. Wealth leaves those who serve it empty. They find, to borrow a term from Mick Jagger, “can’t get no satisfaction.”  When we look for fulfillment or measure our worth by what we have, we’re trusting a king who promises much yet can never deliver.
  Power. Power is intoxicating. Power and authority were granted by God at creation. He made us humans to serve under His rule in a way that imitates His rule of justice and order. But humans have a strange tendency to twist power for their own ends rather than exercise power with justice. And when power slips through our fingers, we go berserk. Why? Because we’ve deified power. While power is a gift from God, it is not God. Power only works if we have submitted ourselves to the Lord and His care first.
  Sexuality. Sex is God’s idea. He made human beings inherently sexual. It’s God’s beautiful plan for a man and a woman to unite in marriage and have sexual intimacy. But sexuality is a tyrant when we make it a right, not a gift. God’s good gift devolves into a source of pain and frustration, far away from God’s original design. Outside of God’s plan, it leaves us broken, scarred, and in spiritual and emotional shambles. Those of us who have experienced the brutality of unrestrained sexuality, know that pain from its wounding. Sexuality is a fantastic gift, yet a cruel master.
  Relationships. God designed us to have relationships as He does in the Godhead in the Trinity. He created us so that we could relate first to God and then to our neighbor. Too often a relationship is enthroned in the false belief that it will make life wonderful. But human relationships can never fill the hole in our soul because of sin. While we’re made for relationships, relationships with others (romantic or fraternal) can never replace the primary relationship of the God who loves us and made us! Relationships put on the throne in place of God are fraught with anxiety and frustration.
  Family. With the fragmentation of marriage and the redefining of family in western culture, it’s tempting to enthrone family as a defense against this cultural erosion. The conjugal family—one man and one woman whose covenant union produces offspring—is God’s plan. It’s profoundly good, and a necessary and foundational element of God’s creational design, but it is not ultimate. A spouse, a child and even a grandchild must be secondary to King Jesus. Yet even churches can enshrine the family. A church can become so focused on families that they ignore singles and gear everything toward married couples or those with children. Somehow we forget that even Jesus was single and never married.
  Couples who prioritize their children or grandchildren, yet not a relationship with the Lord or their spouse, will find that choice sows seeds of future destruction in their marriage and ultimately leaves their souls empty. When children are the glue for 18-plus years, a couple finds the empty nest is an empty relational cave. Statistics show that the divorce rate jumps once the children are grown. The marriage was allowed to wither for lack of attention. and they have little in common anymore.
  The Enemy of our souls entices us to choose fake kings. It’s tempting to divert our focus from the one true Lord who gave His life for us. Even good things can cause Christ to lose preeminence in our lives and become an idol. Tim Keller writes, an idol “is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” 
  Palm Sunday is a reminder that Jesus is the one true King. Is He your King?

Can we help you spiritually? 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. 

 

Are Sports an Idol?

 

“Sports can be a source of distraction 
and even idolatry among us.”  Dave Miller

 

Recently, one of my childhood heroes, Hank Aaron died. There was nothing better than a hot night at County Stadium watch Hammerin’ Hank hit one out of the park. Some of my greatest  memories from childhood are attending an Atlanta Falcons game. My heroes were Greg Brezina, who’s a committed Christian, and Tommy Nobis. 

  No doubt it’s always been there to some degree, somewhere, somehow professional sports devolved from entertainment to big business. Professional sports were entertainment. They’re amusement. Muse means “to think;” a-muse means “to not think.” Professional sports were an opportunity to forget about life and just enjoy it. 

  Most people don’t want to be “preached” at by their amusement. Apparently, the NFL and other professional sports didn’t get the memo. If early reports on the ads coming for Super Bowl LV are to be believed, the funny, heartwarming ads of cute kids and heroic animals are being squeezed aside for “preachy” ads this year. The days of Betty White and Snickers, Budweiser frogs, or Dodge Ram’s “God made a farmer” commercial are being dumped into the dustbin of history, at least this year. 

  The popularity of professional sports has been waning for some time with salaries fit for royalty, players’ strikes, and abhorrent behavior. Add, the blackmail of asking taxpayers to fund new stadiums or they’ll take their ball and go elsewhere, hasn’t endeared them either. A few scandalous reports of abusing a girlfriend or drugs and the party has been pooped. 

  One blessing of this pandemic has been some honest evaluation of professional sports. Social scolding has given professional sports the same popularity as your annual physical. Who wants to watch their favorite team play only to feel like they’re being lectured about their cholesterol levels? 

  This spiritual gut-check has been greatly needed by the people of God. As John Calvin, astutely observed, “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory.” Our human tendency is to take good things and elevate them to the place of gods. The serpent of healing of Numbers 21 became an idol in Israel’s later history (2 Kings 18:4). Satan loves to take the good and get us to give it a godlike status. Sadly, it’s often happened with sports, frequently we’ve been “conformed to the world” (Romans 12:2). 

  When the game has priority over personal time with the Lord or corporate worship, when we’re skinflints with our finances when it comes to worship, yet have no problem dropping big bucks for a sporting event or fan paraphernalia, we need a heart check. When we know players’ stats but are ignorant of God’s Word and eternal truth, there’s something wrong. 

  Sports have their place. Scripture uses athletics to illustrate truth. It’s idolatry when we prioritize them over God and allow His good gift to become a god. How do we know we’ve wrongly elevated them? 

  Sports are idolatry when they’re what we most want our children to be discipled in. If one sport is good, more is better. Parents, as early as pre-school, feel pressure to sign their child up. Many have them in a sport for each season. What’s often jettisoned is a focus on eternal matters, marital and parent-child relationships, and a child’s basic need for downtime, imagination development, and play. Most won’t be the next Aaron Rogers. Few will receive a college scholarship. Most will peak in high school. 

  If a child doesn’t develop a relationship with Jesus in those first 18 years, the statistics of that happening tumble in adulthood. With the secularization of culture, Sunday games and practices are normative. Parents would question a teacher about an overload of homework. They should question coaches about Sunday games and practices. If no one ever asks, no one ever will. At the very least, with the blessing of technology, schedule family worship via the internet during the season. 

  Sports are idolatry when they captivate our hearts and focus. God is jealous for His glory and anything that competes for His rightful place of first passion in our hearts. There’s a problem when our heart is centered on our “sport,” instead of on Christ and His kingdom. Jesus doesn’t want to be our highest passion. Imagine if I told my wife, “Of all my women, you’re my favorite.” Would she accept that? Do we expect God to accept that kind of fidelity? God calls us to love Him with ALL of our heart, soul, and mind. 

  There’s nothing wrong with breaks and relaxation. Time spent watching or playing a game is not, de facto, wasted time. When, though, we add up the hours spent watching sports, or the matters left undone while obsessing over sports, an unhealthy trend often surfaces. 

  Sports are idolatry when more important relationships are squeezed out. Rarely does a spouse have the same affinity for sports. Usually, one goes along out of love for their mate. Watching a game can be a bonding time or it can be a wedge. It’s all about focus. My mate or children shouldn’t feel as if they must compete. 

  Sports can be a bridge-builder for the gospel or an obstacle. Many lost professional athletes have been won to Christ by a colleague who was a Christ-follower. We can do the same. God designed us with our love for a sport. He expects us to be stewards of that gift and use it to share the most important love with a friend, God’s love. 

  Sports are idolatry when they greatly alter my mood. We all enjoy it when our team wins. Yet, when a loss affects our mood for hours or days, things are out of whack. It’s just a game, played by those on a financial level most of us can’t even dream of. 

  Do spiritual losses affect us like that? Are we as excited when someone comes to Christ or when spiritual ground is gained? 

  Sports are a good gift from God and are to be used in a way that pleases the Giver. Enjoy them yet don’t let them become an idol. To please God, we must keep things in balance. Are they in balance in your life?

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. 

Worshiping Politics?

“For those looking for security, be forewarned that there’s nothing more insecure than a political promise.” Harry Browne

 

Did you get your chicken? In 1928 then presidential candidate Herbert Hoover promised, “a chicken in every pot.”

If you haven’t already voted, I hope you vote this Tuesday. We have a privilege in America that many others around the world don’t have – free elections and the right to vote. Yet, we must realize the extreme limitations of government to resolve core problems. That doesn’t prevent political candidates from promising that they will solve all of our major problems if elected…but have they?

We still haven’t won the War on Poverty. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson declared an “unconditional war” on poverty. Visit any urban area in America and you’ll quickly see that in spite of Johnson’s good intentions, we’re losing the “war on poverty.” Some 40 million live below the poverty line. That works out to 12.3% of the population or one in eight Americans. In 2020, the poverty threshold for a single person under 65 was an annual income of  $12,760; the threshold for a family of four, including two children, was $26,200. Though the numbers have bounced up and down since 1964, government has been able to do little to make inroads against poverty. 2,000 years ago the Lord Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you” (Mt. 26:11 NIV). Sadly, we do.

We still haven’t won the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs begun under President Richard Nixon continues to utilize policies of prohibition to achieve a variety of objectives. The popular “Just Say No” campaign aimed at discouraging children from engaging in illegal recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying No. The program was championed by First Lady, Nancy Reagan, during her husband’s presidency. Yet, while in 1980, 580,900 people were arrested on drug‐​related charges, forty years later that number has increased to well over a million. Nearly half a million are currently incarcerated for drug-related offenses with another 1.15 million on probation or parole on drug‐​related charges. 50,000 Americans die annually from opioid overdose.

We still haven’t won the War against Racism. How far have we come since Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham jail” or his historic, “I have a dream” speech? Tragically, not very far. The events of this past year clearly reveal that in “the land of the free,” racism is still a terrible blight on the American horizon. That’s because laws, social programs, and education can never change hearts. In one of the most liberal cities in America (NYC), Jews were recently attacked because they dared to support the “wrong” political candidate. It was a page straight out of Nazi Germany. According to Pew Research, 63% of Americans say that being Muslim hurts someone’s chances for advancement in our society. What social activist, Dorothy Day called “a revolution of the heart” is more like a regurgitation of the same terrible maladies.

We still haven’t won the War against Abortion. In 1980 I voted in my first presidential election. At one time I naively believed that with a pro-life President, we could end this atrocity. 12 years of Reagan and Bush were a wake-up call for me. Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned (I don’t believe it will be), it won’t end abortion. Estimates of the number of illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s ranged from 200,000 to 1.2 million per year. Currently, there are almost a million annual abortions in America.

While few want to acknowledge it, abortion is one of the greatest acts of racism with 40% of them performed on African-Americans. It’s no wonder that Bernice King, MLK’s daughter is opposed to abortion and believes that life begins and should be protected by law at conception.

Many other social evils could be added to this list. While as Christians, we must do what we can to combat poverty, drug addiction, racism , and abortion – the solution isn’t and never will be found in government.

One of God’s constant rebukes of His chosen people, Israel, was they're trusting in foreign governments to rescue them. Rather than trusting God to intervene for them, they reached out to evil foreign kings. God used the Old Testament prophets to continually warn them. Yet, because Israel would not repent, God finally brought judgment on them for their idolatry.

It was wrong because our ultimate hope is not in government or elected leaders, but in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself alone. Only He has the power to  meet our greatest needs of forgiveness and salvation. Only He can truly change us and our world, true heart change from the inside out.

Many in the Church and many Christians are guilty of the same sin of idolatry. We’ve deified government and worship at the altar of politics. For many politics has never been more important and has turned into the opium of the masses. As former Nixon “hatchet man” who later came to Christ, Chuck Colson wrote, “Modern history is replete with lessons about the futility of putting ultimate trust in much vaunted political systems.”

How do you know if you’ve made politics your idol? Some signs are: Your hope in life is inextricably tied to a politician or your political party winning. You look to a politician or party as a perfect savior who can’t do or say anything wrong. You side with your party on every issue by reflex without thinking through a biblical worldview. Your speech and tone in political discourse tends to be harsh and angry, rather than kind and honorable. You forget that political opponents have eternal souls, that Jesus loves them and died for them just as He did for you. You let politics steal your joy. You don’t seek to understand how a political opponent thinks. You fail to acknowledge the false idols of your own political party.

Yes, we should vote, so please vote for the candidate that best reflects a biblical worldview. Remember though that none wholeheartedly do. Most of all, remember that our ultimate hope is in our sovereign God.

I am so thankful that politics have not divided our church. Our focus must be on His eternal Kingdom, not temporal earthly politics. None of us know what will happen after this election. One thing we are certain of though is that  King Jesus will still be on His throne! His promises will remain true, His church will move forward, and His gospel will prevail. Our hope is not in who wins this election, it’s in King Jesus. Regardless of what happens this election, God is in charge and His coming kingdom is forever! 

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. 

Thanks Colin Kapernick!

“You don’t watch NFL so if you don’t like the kneeling just ignore it, like you do racism and police brutality.” Colin Kapernick

This is one time when I probably should attach a caution label: “Proceed at your own risk.” You may disagree with me. I only ask that you not discount my words because it violates your personal values. At least take the time to think it through and evaluate if there’s some (or perhaps a lot of validity) in this blog. Let’s put it right out there: I’m thankful for the NFL controversy of players kneeling. Here are some reasons I feel this way.

  Obsession with sports has supplanted other more worthy endeavors. The protests have caused many to consider whether they want professional sports to have such a big part of their lives. My main concern though is for Christians and the Church. Sports for many believers are an idol. Something becomes an idol when it gives us greater joy than Christ, when it becomes more of a focus in our lives than He is, when it’s what I think and talk about the most, when it’s what I most love spending time and money on…or, if the outcome of the game greatly alters my attitude.  

  To me, it’s a poor way to address racism. Racism is a problem and a sin. Personally, I think this is a foolish way to address it. It has little hope of making real change with more symbolism than substance. 75% of NFL fans are Caucasian. 25% make over $100K annually, so it tends to polarize rather than provoke change. Add to that, 40% are over 55 years of age, and tend to be the most patriotic Americans. That demographic is more concerned about the American flag being disrespected than any other.

  It also seems disingenuous when the average player’s salary is $1.9 million annually. It’s hard to believe someone at that economic level can empathize with the average black person experiencing racism. Then, there’s blatant hypocrisy on the part of the media who mocked Tim Tebow for kneeling because of his faith, yet kneeling during the National Anthem is defended and celebrated by these same elitists.

  The timing is poor for the sport of football. Football continues to lose popularity because of the fear of head injuries. The day may come when it is about as popular as dog fighting. It’s my hope that some of this shake-up will be a wake-up call for believers, causing them to re-evaluate their over the top loyalty. With that being said, there is another side of the biblical worldview as related to athletics and sports.

  The Bible isn’t, nor should the Church be anti-sports. Scripture repeatedly uses athletic terminology. While the Old Testament contains allusions to running, throwing, shooting and other physical activities, it doesn’t appear that organized sports were part of the culture. In the New Testament era, it’s very apparent that competitive sports were a major part of life. Both the Olympic Games and Isthmian Games took place in that era. The Apostle Paul frequently uses athletic examples to illustrate spiritual truth. Scripture never condemns sports. If Paul believed they were sinful, he wouldn’t have used them to illustrate the Christian life.

  Sports can teach us much about the Christian life. They can instill respect for those in authority. An athlete must have confidence that the coach’s decisions are right and trust, as well as obey the coach. In the same way, church leaders often can see the bigger picture. Their goal should be to develop each member’s gifts, so they serve to the best of their ability.

  As an athlete perseveres to win, Christians are to persevere in the faith. When we’re knocked down, we must get back up, set goals, and keep a positive attitude.

  Sports teach teamwork. Winning teams learn to play together to win. They realize each player, though at a different position, is vital for a positive outcome. The same is true in the church. There are no insignificant “players.” Athletics can teach us how to love and respect others, to win and lose with grace, and to encourage others in their “game,” too.  

  How do I know if sports have become an idol in my life? An idol is when “the thing or person is loved more than God, wanted more than God, desired more than God, treasured more than God, enjoyed more than God. It could be someone we’re dating or even approval from others. It could be success, or a hobby, musical group or a sport or team we follow. The first two of the Ten Commandments challenge us. God knows we’re easily distracted and fail to remember Who truly deserves our worship. We have a long history of misdirecting worship away from God and turning it toward the things of man, from the Creator to the created (Romans 1:21, 25).

  Sports can become a family idol. It’s easy to be swept along by sports fan parents. We run at an ever increasing speed, with little evangelism or discipleship taking place with our own children. Sports become the greater focus than that which makes an eternal difference. Often the results don’t reveal themselves until adulthood when there’s a disinterest in spiritual things because it wasn’t cultivated during those formative years.

  Sports have become an idol when ministry and worship is preempted. It can be a normal part of common grace to unwind watching sports. But if you’re dead tired for Sunday worship, something is out of sync. If there’s always time for the game, yet little time for serving, it’s become idolatry.

  Sports have become an idol when my emotions are contaminated. How do you feel if your team loses? Being a bit bummed is normal. Some though need a bigger perspective. It’s only a game! Caring about your kid’s scrimmage is no excuse for berating other grown men, let alone a child.

  Sports have become an idol when it’s difficult for a conversation to go deeper than sports. Sports are a great entry point for conversations. It’s more interesting than the weather and safer than politics. Believers though must learn to move past sports. Don’t be that “guy” with only one question: “Did you catch the game?” Press on to more important matters. A man or woman who cares only about sports doesn’t care about nearly enough. 

  So enjoy sports as one of God’s many good gifts! Keep their temporal importance in balance in light of eternity. Make sure your worship is on the only One who is truly worthy of our worship!

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. 

When a self-aborbed Queen lengthened a marathon....

“If we aren’t careful, instead of encouraging worshipping families, we become family worshippers.”  Jason Helopoulos

  Today is the Annual Chicago Marathon. Runners from all 50 states and more than 100 countries will set out to accomplish a personal dream of reaching the finish line in Grant Park. Chicago is one of the six major world marathons. It’s limited to 45,000 runners on a first-come, first-serve basis. The official distance of a marathon is 26 miles and 385 yards. My good friend, Scott Ziegler, is running the Chicago Marathon today.

  Marathons began in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier, Pheidippides. After their victory over the Persians, Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news. But modern marathoners run further than Pheidippides did…and they do so because of the self-absorbed whim of one English queen. Until 1908, marathons averaged 25 miles. The 1908 London marathon was originally to run from downtown Windsor to the White City Stadium, a distance of nearly twenty-six miles.

  Queen Alexandra, however, had another idea. Originally, she planned to watch the end of the grueling race from her royal box in the stadium, but she wanted her children and grandchildren to be able to view its beginning. So the starting line was extended to the lawn of Windsor Castle, so the Queen’s offspring could watch from the windows. That made the distance of the marathon 26 miles plus, 385 yards. While it might seem like a minor addition, it wasn’t for the frontrunner that year, Dorando Pietri. This twenty-three year old Italian led for most of the race yet collapsed less than 100 yards from the finish line. Those extra 385 yards cost him the race. And in 1921, the International Amateur Athletic Federation chose the distance of the London Marathon –26 miles, 385 yards—as the new standard course. The next time you watch those final, punishing moments of a marathon, remember Queen Alexandra who was thinking of family first but apparently no one else. I’m sure Dorando Pietri never forgot her.

  What’s wrong with “family first?” God must be first. Anything else is idolatry. Idolatry isn’t just worshipping a Buddha or some other idol. Idolatry is very insidious. And a great temptation for Christians, possibly because our culture is increasingly anti-family, is to “worship our family.”

  Am I suggesting we ignore or become anti-family? Absolutely not!  Marriage and children are gifts from God. Idolatry occurs when we take a good thing and make it a god thing. While we’re often blind to this idol, this idolatry isn’t new. God didn’t have Pharaoh’s attention (Exodus 11) until He killed all the firstborn sons in Egypt. Every plague that came down on Egypt confronted a god that they worshipped. God saved the final judgment, the killing of the firstborn, for the greatest idol of all – the idol of family. Finally, He had Pharaoh’s attention.

  When our family becomes our greatest source of meaning, purpose, significance and joy, it becomes idolatry. Jesus must be first in our life.  It’s tempting to make our family name and reputation great. Our focus though must be to make God’s name great, not ours. If we aren’t careful, instead of encouraging worshipping families, we become family worshippers. Recently, I read a blog by Jason Helopoulos. His article suggests possible signs we’re worshipping our family. Let me warn you, they’re very convicting.   

  We seldom, if ever, use our home to minister to others. When our home is seen primarily as a fortress set against the world, there’s a problem. A home centered on Christ is marked by growing hospitality. We gladly invite others into it for encouragement, strengthening, and to share Jesus. We realize what’s been given to us by way of our homes is a gift from God. We are managers of His gifts, not owners.  

  We hardly ever reach out to others. Do others really know us, even in our church? If our family is so insular that others don’t know us, there’s a problem. A Christian family filled with love will overflow to those around them. Neighbors, co-workers and relatives can’t help but be touched by the love that permeates in and flows out from our family.

  We seldom serve in our local church. If we’re so busy with “our schedule” or on just being a family that we can hardly attend any other church activities, there’s a problem. If parents can’t serve in any ministry, there needs to be a re-evaluation. And what better way to teach our children to serve as Jesus did, than by letting them see us serve. As a   family, we’re to see ourselves as part of the local church community, not separate from it, or more important than it, yet essential to it.

  We seldom have any time for those outside our family. When our family is always busy with its own activities, whether sports or music or even family vacations, to the point that we have little time for others, there’s a problem. The enrichment and growth of our children, even in spiritual things, isn’t to pull us away from people but towards them. It’s true that we only have so many years to train and teach our children while they’re at home. But what are we really teaching them? To be self-absorbed? Narcissistic? Are we teaching them they’re the center of life? Or, are we teaching that worshipping Christ…loving others is what’s most important?

  We seldom sacrifice. If our family is reluctant to give generously because of what it costs our family, there’s a problem. If we don’t give at all or give so sparingly because the family and our future, like our children’s college education comes first, we need to re-evaluate our finances. Somehow there is always an excuse for not using the money God has given us to worship Him or help others. Sadly, it’s usually our family’s need that provides the ground for that excuse. God’s children are to be generous and model generosity generationally, even to the point of giving sacrificially.

  We seldom have any flexibility. If others feel they’re always interrupting our family by calling, visiting, or proposing a time to get-together, there’s a problem. Others usually notice it before us. They begin to feel our family’s routine just can’t be interrupted. We forget that every minute is a gift and we’re stewards of the time God has given us. Our family should be known for flexibility and joy when others stop by, friendliness when called, and availability when needed.

  We seldom speak well of others. If our family tends to have an arrogant air about it, there’s a problem. It’s “we have it together, others don’t.” Our conversations are negative, critical and judgmental. God hates pride! Our families should be filled with thanking God for others. Our children should hear us commending and promoting others. Outsiders should find that we’re refreshing to their souls, rather than critical of their practices.

  Yes, we must enjoy and treasure our families. We need to pour out our lives and hearts into ministering to our spouse, raising our children in Christ, and filling our homes with the love and truth of Christ. However, in so doing, let’s make certain we’re worshippers of Jesus first, worshipping Him together in our worshipping families.