As I'm sure most churches across America gave honor and praise to the heroes that served our country through out history, ours was no different. It was a very spirit and pride filled part of the Sunday morning service.
Is what concerns me is that while the honoring of our military heroes was and is great, the honoring and glorifying of the God that gives us life and everything else we have in this world is lacking.
The more I observe the local church, the more I see that she has fallen into the trap of praising the gift over the giver. It's ultimately God that gives us everything we have and that includes the wonderful freedom that we as a country enjoy. Our society, which is now full of the high self-esteem soccer mom mentality has us believing that we should hold ourselves in high regard. A teaching that goes against what the Scriptures say about mankind. The Bible says that by nature we are children of wrath and enemies of God. We are dead in sin and trespasses and even our so called good works are as filthy rags to God.
The church has joined in this horrific thought process of believing that we are honoring God by holding His gifts in such high regard. This is dangerous because it ultimately only feeds our society's belief of us needing temporal "things". "Things" are what for a season will feed our worldly desires until we realize that something newer or better has hit the market and the desire returns.
Celebrating the gift over the giver will for a time relieve the guilt of your lack of serving the one true God. That is until you stand before Jesus on judgment day and He tells you to depart from Him because He never knew you.
Will your reply to Him be, "But I loved whole heartily for the children, spouse, home, and even the church that you gave me to help"?
The first Commandment says to love God with everything. It doesn't say to love His gifts above Him.
Where is Jesus on the list of things you love?
Actually, where does Jesus rank on the list of things the modern church loves?
In Christ Alone,
Mr. V.
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