Another school and society year is upon us. We are all undoubtedly delighted for this opportunity to study God and His creation. We can hardly wait to talk to our friends about spiritual matters, to discuss God’s Word, to exchange views of the greatness of God, and to listen and learn about God’s plan for the church. After all, this is what enthusiasm is all about, isn’t it?
Sadly, this probably is not the prevalent attitude. We have a lot of wrong reasons to enjoy the new learning year. Our thoughts are not centered on God, but rather on our social life. Is that girl going to notice me? Will that guy ask me out? Whose clothes have all the appropriate labels stuck on them? These are questions that really do not matter. We are sinning when we seek first the things of this world.
We are continually sinning. We have such an easy time justifying our sins. After all, we cannot attain perfection in this life, so we don’t really try. We go carelessly on our sinful way. We casually mock the teachers God has placed in authority over us, even making jokes about them. We forget to listen to God’s word- “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers.’’ God is not mocked. Aren’t we trying to do just that? Why must we continue in these sins? God’s judgment rests upon those who refuse to repent.
We go to the movies and to drinking parties and casually brush these sins aside saying, well, I know I’m sinning, but we have to do something. We can’t be perfect all the time. We will straighten out later. Yet scripture says that a drunkard cannot enter the kingdom of heaven: it’s that simple. Why can’t we understand that? Why can’t we live what scripture says? James 1:23 commands “Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only.”
We willingly spend all night in front of the T.V. set and let our minds be rotted with that worthless, mindless, godless drivel; but let a teacher lay a couple of hours of homework on us, and listen to us scream. When is the last night that you studied God’s word all evening? What is wrong with us? Are we becoming like the church at Ephesus that lost her first love? (Rev. 2) Doctrinally that church was strong, they defended the truth, and they did good works. Yet because they had lost their first love, God said He would remove their candlestick out of their place except they repented. Have we lost our first love for the truth, and for covenant instruction?
What kind of music do we listen to? Is it God-glorifying? Does it spiritually refresh and nourish us? At roller-skating parties, what do we want to hear? Is it the worst possible popular hits? Oh, we can usually justify ourselves. We are good at that. God doesn’t require that, but He does require repentance.
The world around us is very tempting and very sinful. It looks and feels like such fun. The world says, if it feels good, do it. Wanting to do something is justification for doing it. We also are guilty of this. I felt like doing it so I did it. “It isn’t wrong” we say. We have no idea what it is to deny ourselves. We do and we get whatever we want. We forget that as Christians we are to deny ourselves. We hide our true motives under the broad category of Christian liberty. Mark 8:34, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Are we disciples, followers of Christ? Then deny yourself the pleasures and lusts of this world.
Just because we go to church twice on Sunday, attend society, and go to Christian schools is no guarantee of heaven. God commands us to walk as Christians. Not just when we want to, or when those in authority are around, but all the time. We are spiritually harming ourselves when we do not. We often say, just like the children of Israel, the people of God are we, the people of God; and go on our sinful way giving no more than a passing thought to our sin. This is a terrible attitude. God says repent.
Repentance is a godly sorrow for our sins. This involves more than tacking on “Forgive us our sins” at the end of our prayer. Our sins should bother us so much that we cannot fall asleep at night because of them – so that finally with tears streaming down our faces, we go before the throne of grace saying, forgive, oh Lord, forgive this wretched man that I am. We must hate our sin, not desire to continue in it. Only then do we come to a realization of our forgiveness: then we can find peace with our God.
We have to learn that it is possible to have good, clean, God-glorifying fun without joining in the world’s sins. We seem to think at times that the only way to have fun is to sin. We had better forget that notion. Does this mean that we have to sit around all the time studying the Bible? No, but we should do a whole lot more of that than we do. We have to realize that being a Christian is hard work.
In Matt. 25:14-30 Jesus instructs us in the parable of the talents. In it we learn that we have a responsibility to use the gifts God gives us to the best of our ability and to God’s glory. Further, we learn that Christ, the master, gives His people work to do. Christ leaves none of His people idle. We are to work for the glory of God and for the good of our fellow Christians. We are not to take the gifts God has given unto us, and hide them, or even just preserve them, but rather, we must develop them. This is our calling in our spiritual lives, and our calling as students.
Your teachers will help you develop your talents. Give the teachers your full respect. They have devoted their lives to the cause of covenant education. They are not perfect, but bear with their weaknesses. Listen to what they have to say. God has placed them over you for a reason.
God commands us in II Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved”. This involves work. Being a Christian is not something that just mysteriously happens. It must involve a lot of hard work on our part. Do not neglect your personal devotions. We have to do things that by nature we don’t want to do. The only way we will ever do them is through God’s strength in us. The only way to receive the strength is through the preaching and diligent study. Only then can we say with the apostle Paul, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.