15
The War Cry | OCTOBER 2013
Author Bob Hostetler's next
book, Take Time to Be Holy,
a one-year devotional based
on the writings of Samuel
Logan Brengle, is scheduled
to be released this month.
4. Does it reflect zeal for God...or something else?
5. Does it encourage me to call on God, praise Him, thank
Him, and wholeheartedly yield to, obey, and submit to Him?
6. Does it indicate a desire to please God and walk humbly
with Him?
Based on the Westminster Larger Catechism's answer to
"What are the duties required in the first commandment?"
A
b
a
o
L
t
Instant Gratification
My wife and I were once foster parents to
six teenage boys in a group home setting.
Our boys had come to us from the juvenile
court system, for various reasons, but ulti-
mately each was there for the same reason:
the inability to postpone gratification. Given
the choice between obtaining or enjoying
something now or later, they were virtually
unable--untrained--to choose "later." So
it is in many of the finest Christian homes
today. Our children have become so accus-
tomed to getting what they want when they
want it that they find it nearly impossible
to postpone gratification. Too often, they be-
come like us: buying things on credit simply
because we want them now; giving up if we
don't see quick results in dieting, studying,
or saving; prone to take shortcuts, making
decisions too quickly, tending to value in-
stancy more than quality.
Celebrity Worship
Many of our homes (and our children's
bedroom walls) reveal that Christians are
as prone to celebrity worship as everyone
around us--perhaps more so! We idolize
famous authors, famous preachers, famous
singers... and not always because of how
God is using them, but often just because
they're famous. And worse, we impart such
celebrity worship to our children, encourag-
ing their adulation of the latest Christian
star or singing group. Marva Dawn, in
her book Reaching Out Without Dumbing
Down
, writes:
S
everal years ago... a teenager who had
heard me speak at a large youth convention
saw me in a store in Portland and begged
for my autograph. I asked her why my sig-
nature was more valuable than hers. We are
all equally significant members of the Body
of Christ, are we not? We all have crucial
parts to play in the church's ministry to the
world. The church should be the last place
where anyone is thought to be more impor-
tant than anyone else.
Casting Down Our Idols
These are just some of the idols we worship, just a few that have
crept into our homes and families. They may be harder to recog-
nize than a golden calf or a stone idol. They may also be harder to
correct. But our modern, American idols are as abhorrent to God
as the idols that tempted and afflicted ancient Israel. And if we
don't do something about them, they will corrupt and devastate
us just as they did the Israelites.
So how do we cast down our idols? The first step, obviously,
is acknowledgment. We must let God show us those idols we
have adopted--or adapted--from the behavior of those around
us. And when we recognize an idol, we must choose humility and
repentance (instead of defensiveness), call our pet idolatries by
their proper name--sin--and confess each one to God.
Once we are aware of an idol, we must not only refuse to bow
to it any longer, but also avoid reinforcing it. We must clearly and
consciously "set apart Christ as Lord" (1 Peter 3:15) in our own
lives and in our parenting decisions.
Finally, casting down our idols will mean giving ourselves
anew to prayer and devoting ourselves to the cultivation of new
beliefs and new behaviors. We must beg God to replace our false
gods with His sufficiency. We must yield to God our allegiance
to convenience. We must ask Him to cleanse us of consumerism
and celebrity worship ourselves, so we might be better examples
to our children. We must seek God's help in countering our chil-
dren's attachment to instant gratification. Such steps may not be
easy. But they will bear fruit in children who "shine like stars"
in the midst of an otherwise "crooked and depraved generation"
(Philippians 2:15).
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