Suppose a wealthy individual approached your family with the following offer: “If for the next year you allow your child to spend one entire Sunday per month with me watching sports, I will give you $10 toward their college education each time.”
The parents would probably be offended at the suggestion. Of course, they are offended. What noncompromising, spiritually sound parent would allow their child to jeopardize their relationship with God over $10? That is ludicrous! We are a church going family!
But the offers continue; “How about $100? $500? $1,000?” Are these offers any less preposterous?
Then the wealthy individual makes one final proposition; “If you allow your child to spend one Sunday per month watching sports with me, I will pay their entire college tuition to the school of their choice.”
Now we are talking about some serious money. Think of how much that will save the parents each year, and the child will have no school loans when they graduate. How sweet is that? Besides, when they get out in the “real world” they may be “forced” to miss church services for work each month. Has this very generous offer made the spiritual implications less absurd?
Some parents would put their child’s spiritual welfare at risk, and for what, a lot of money! How do I know? Because many parents are already making/allowing spiritually compromising decisions concerning their children over lesser (monetarily speaking) matters.
Those compromising parents explain: “My child will not be able to attend all the church services because they have a job. Everyone knows working is just a part of growing up, so they must do this.” Later on, that same parent instructs/allows the child to quit their job to participate in an extracurricular school program. First things first!
After quitting a job for extracurricular activities, the compromising parent then announces: “My child will not be able to attend all the church services because of the commitment they have made to school and fellow participants. Besides, everyone knows that extracurricular activities are important to building character, could lead to a scholarship, and possibly a lucrative career.” First things first!
Jesus taught, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these (material) things will be given to you” (Mt. 6:33). The apostle Paul instructed fathers to bring their children up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). Which are more important, extracurricular activities or spiritual activities? Hmm, which will help my child keep the Lord first? Which fall into the category of “training and admonition of the Lord?” Which will help my child to go to heaven?
When parents decide that the less spiritual choice is a “non-issue” because of the circumstances, then, that is the price for which they were willing to sell their child’s soul. Sadly, it is the compromising parents who, in later years, end up shedding tears over the spiritual ruin of their child while asking, “What did we do wrong? Why did our child forsake the Lord? Why are the things of this present world so important to them?”
For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his (child’s) soul (Mt. 16:28)?
First things first!
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