Today’s passage: “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37-38
Christian families are bombarded on every side by worldly viewpoints regarding what is best for their children. Since yesteryears, we have been taught that it is as American to watch baseball as it is to eat hot dogs and apple pie and indeed, sports have been a great pastime for families over the years. Yet the growing movement in this country is to prioritize the sport so much that children are expected to spend all of their time practicing and playing games at times that have been designated by the elders to be worship time. Instead of participating in works of the church such as Vacation Bible School, youth devotionals and gospel meetings/revivals, some children are always on the field instead. Unfortunately, baseball is not the only sport that has seen such changes, as children playing soccer, football and other sports have been asked to play on Sundays or Wednesday nights as well.
When did this urge to be so competitive increase to the point that it has vaulted above the things of God on our priority scale? Why are games being scheduled on days and times that should be set aside for the worship of our Lord? Matthew recorded Jesus’ warning in Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If our primary concern is for our children to win trophies or socially interact with the ball team or become a professional ballplayer some day, we have failed our children greatly. The primary concern should be to teach them what is truly important in life: worship of God and service in His kingdom. Only after assuring that this priority is fulfilled should we then fill in the time that is left with hobbies and dreams. God must come first in our plans and in our activities.
Certainly, it is not wrong for our children to be involved in sports, educational competitions or other activities in the world as long as our worship of God and participation in activities of the church have been fulfilled. Yet at the point that any activity coincides with a work of the church, we are faced with the decision of which activity is more important to us at that particular point in time. In God’s kingdom, past involvement does not remove current responsibility.
Many Christians validate their decisions by stating that they worship the majority of the time, so what does one season/month/week hurt? The Bible does not mention that we should take an average of how many times we attend worship services and participate in works of the church in contrast to how many times we do not attend or participate in order to arrive at our level of Christianity and commitment to the Lord. No such formula exists in God’s Word. Instead, we are taught to put God before mother, father, son or daughter. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:37-38
We are also taught that we should not forsake joining together in worship in words that are very clear. “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” Hebrews 10:23-27
I shudder to think how the church of the future, provided the Lord does not come again soon, will be affected by the decisions made by parents today. There is a tendency toward the creation of such a competitive nature in our children that it trickles into the church itself and grows to enormous proportions. Christians are in a battle to win, but that battle has nothing to do with sports, the accumulation of wealth, social status or the display of our physical talents. The battle that we fight has everything to do with spiritual warfare on a battleground where losses mean the eternal destruction of souls. This is a competition that must be one by every single one of us and must be fought every minute of every day.
In the midst of the pounding against the moral and spiritual values of the Christian family, there is good news. Just this weekend, a family in Tennessee faced a situation in which their son’s baseball tournament game was suggested to take place on Sunday morning and have voted against this suggestion. They also made a very commendable decision to disallow their son to participate in games that coincide with worship times. I admire such a stand for their family to revere the Lord above all else. As Joshua commanded God’s people to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15), so this family chose to serve the Lord. Hallelujah for the faith of Christian families to stand against the swelling current of worldly idolatry and fight for the preservation of the Lord’s values!
