A Few Thoughts on Dealing with Them Bad Kids

January 6, 2016 | ziononth | 4 Comments | Pastor's Blog

Would you ever call your kids evil?

Luke 6 says: ³¹ And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. ³² “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

Many a parent has thought of their kids in a frustrating way. Many a child has done what would be classified as horrific even though their parents have given them nothing but love and patience. We cringe when we think of our children doing these things or growing up to be everything we worked hard to lived and preached against.

God knows better than any human parent the pain of watching a child live for something different than what is right. But many of our friends and family, and perhaps even us, have a sense of that pain when we look at the choices our children have made. The prayers of the mighty church of God are with you even as you read this.

In the midst of all of the choices we wish our kids didn’t make, this passage speaks to the love that God continues to have for His creation, His children, especially the ones who have made the choices that take them far from Him. No one is forgotten. No one is far in God’s eyes, only their own. And so, all are welcome to return. The message of hope is that God is gracious and encourages all to remember the Savior who made returning to God possible and a joyous thing. There is nothing like being welcomed back by your Father in Heaven.

God gives everyone the opportunity to see His love and mercy, from the least to the greatest. All receive sunshine; all receive daily bread. All have the opportunity to respond with praise and thanksgiving.

And God calls us to remember how He is gracious to all, even those who would choose to think their blessings come from someone other than God.

How can we live as sons of the Most High, modeling His kindness? A couple of thoughts:

(1) Be willing to do unnatural things

For most people, loving family is a natural thing. It is not so easy any more as many families are broken and there is a lot of hurt that never gets resolved. So, people move on and create their own definition of family. However someone defines family, that network will receive certain things that those outside the family do not. That is the natural order of how we act.

And we would expect God to do the same thing, to only act favorably to those who are closest. But Scripture says that God continues to work even for those who choose their selfish ways over Him.

That is the unnatural thing. We must do the unnatural thing as well, and continue to be gracious to those who would seem to not deserve our respect, kindness, or mercy. We must be willing to do what the sinners would not be willing to do.

(2) Perfection means there must be difference and growth

God is unchangeable. His Word is unchangeable and everlasting. But the method of Gospel reinforcement has changed, and that is how you have been reached. God knew that as cultures and societies and technologies changed, so would the way we interact and communicate. So, God was not above altering His communication strategy for a timeless truth. We must we willing to do the same. Are we?

Growth means that we keep the unalterable truth sacred, but choose to relate it with eyes to those who choose the passions of today over timeless grace. Our ability to think in terms of today with that unalterable truth shows our growth in understanding God’s Word, but also that we know how to live differently. How can you approach one of the timeless truths of God’s Word this week with an eye to making it relatable to someone you know who needs it?

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The world is full of kind and generous people. The world is full of Godly people who devoutly follow the One, true God. But there are also many who choose the path of unrighteousness. May our humility in the face of our sins help us to see how gracious God truly is, and may we proclaim that we choose to be sons of the Most High. Amen.