Parenting & Contentedness in a Culture of Mediocrity

"I want to be forced into early retirement," said a young child on a commercial from a few years back. "I want to be stuck in middle management forever," quipped another. The commercial was poking fun of the attitudes of our culture, but it brought up a stark reality.

It is claimed in the September 2006 edition of Tabletalk magazine (published by R.C. Sproul's Ligonier Ministries) that our culture is one that breeds "arrogant apathy" and "blissful boredom." One author cited the ironic nature of a teenage boy spending "hours" on his hair to make it look extremely messy - that all who saw him walking through the mall would take notice of his "I don't care" attitude.

When we parent our children, we MUST not allow this attitude to grasp them. It's not that mediocrity is bad; rather, striving for mediocrity is the fault. I was (and still am on occasion) guilty of this, especially as a university athlete. I had become "burned-out," and desired "more-important" things from my life than to continue the pusuit for athletic accomplishment. Because I was blessed with a talent, I hung in there, leaning heavily on the lyrics of the Matchbox 20 song, "Hang:"

Well I always say, it would be good to go away.
But if things don't work out like we think
And there's nothing there to ease this ache
But if there's nothing there to make things change
If it's the same for you, I'll just hang.

Looking back, this was a great sin, because I buried my one talent in the ground. Yeah, it remained that one talent, and I "persevered" through the final two years of my career, but I was satisfied with mediocrity.

I didn't find contentment in the pursuit of do all things with great effort to the glory of God. The apostle Paul did. He labored continuously to the glory of God; he knew when he was done (Romans 15:14-33 and 2 Timothy 4:6-8), and he didn't quit before that time came. I did. I don't want my children to repeat my error.

Paul learned contentedness whatever the circumstances (Philippians 4:10-11). He even calls it a "secret." He taught his understudy, Timothy, this secret in 1 Timothy 6:6-8:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

Verse 9 talks about the problem of our culture: "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction."

But here's where I get confused. If our culture is breeding a passion for apathy and mediocrity, then from where is this pursuit for more-and-more coming? How do I taech my children that it is wise stewardship to invest in a Roth IRA without discouraging them from being content without any retirement savings?

We need to breed Christian children who labor for the Lord and who are content in any and every circumstance and situation. Whatever life may bring, give glory to God.

Behold, the power of...

FIRE!

Before I get started, check out a great post with some "rules" for holy living from Adoniram Judson - the missionary to Burma.

Fire is mentioned (437 times in the NIV), along with water (620) and wind (179), quite frequently in Scripture. In talking about the re-birth, Jesus brings up water and the Spirit. He also likens the Spirit's regnerating to the wind. And elsewhere we see that it's baptism with fire and the Spirit (Luke 3:16). Jesus says, in Luke 12:49, "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" What was he saying?

I heard Allistair Begg discuss that on his radio program this morning, and it was, as usual from Allistair, good stuff.

He said that Jesus, referring to "fire on the earth" and "wishing it were already kindled," meant that He wanted the fire of judgment, the fire of purification, and the fire of the Holy Spirit's power to already be in motion. And Luke 12:50 shows us that Jesus knew that He first had to undergo a "baptism." The baptism that had to come first was the crucifixion. John 3:17-18 alludes to that. Jesus did not come to bring condemnation - yet. The Incarnation was for salvation, not judgment. So He had to be crucified first - and then the judgment could come. Jesus wanted the power of the Holy Spirit to come upon His disciples. That's the prayer of John 17. But again, He first had to depart by way of the cross before the Spirit could proceed from Him and from the Father. Jesus was ready to do the will of the Father. AndHe distressed in His humanity until it was completed. Can you imagine the joy that struck through the agony when He cried out, "It is finished"? "For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame." Praise Him! Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!

If God were your Father...

I'm teaching a two-week series on Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus and the surrounding context. (See my blog entries from a month or so ago). In explaining the new birth, and that it is not something that we bring about or cause as a result of our "strong desire" to follow Christ or much less our actual saving faith which welled-up in our fallen selves, I read the passage from John 8 where Jesus essetially explains the same thing.

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me... Why is My language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire... He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."

This is very convincing regarding the order of regeneration first followed logically (though chronologically they may be simulataneous) by saving faith and repentance. Unfortunately, this is not what is generally taught in Christian churches today. Generally, you will hear from the pulpit that you must believe to be born again. Faith comes before regneration. If that is the case, why is the re-birth even necessary?

If you believe, it is because you are His sheep. If you don't believe, it is because you are not His sheep (John 10). You have no influence on whether or not you are a sheep. You have the same influence over your spiritual birth as you do over your physical birth - none. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try. Nicodemus shows us that. He strives for the spiritual truth that Jesus is teaching, yet he can't get it, because he's not born-again, he's not born from above, he's not born of God, he's not yet regenerated. But, he continues to strive for it, siding with Jesus in John 7:50-52, and later proving that he is re-born by anointing the lifeless body of Jesus in John 19:39. But his efforts did not move the Spirit to regenerate him. Rather his efforts were proof that the Spirit was at work in him. Sometimes it happens instantly, and sometimes it happens over a period of roller-coaster type years. It's like the wind. Sometimes the wind is calm, other times it's breezy, and still other times it's perilous. It's when we experience the hurricane force winds of the Spirit that blow us over that the re-birth happens.

Ephesians 2:1-5 says, "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature (or flesh) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved."