In the Eighth chapter of Ezekiel we read an ever-lengthening list of Israel's sins and God's response to said sins. The sins listed are really just different versions of one primary sin - idol worship.
It's pretty easy to read a book like Ezekiel and feel as if we're living light-years ahead of the Israelites. After all, we could reason, we don't have Asherah poles in our front yards and pagan altars on our back porches. There are no "high places" in our garages or basements - are there??
What the Old Testament often refers to as "high places" may not still exist in exactly the same form, but we do have plenty of false idols in our midst. Oh and don't think we're exempt just because we're homeschooling moms. If God's chosen people didn't get a free pass for being the children of Abraham, we don't get one either. (Let me clarify - I am in no way disputing the fact that as Christians we are subject to the New Covenant and live under grace rather than the law. I believe that with every fiber of my being. I'm saying that abusing God's grace through idol worship is just plain wrong.)
We have plenty of "high places" scattered across our country - the massive sports stadiums built just for us to worship the team of our choosing prove it. Our ability to satisfy the false idol of "stuff" with a few clicks of a mouse via the world wide web is another case in point. What about our ridiculous worship of food in the United States? How many drive-thru options do we really need? (I'll give you a hint - we don't need any; we only have fast-food on every corner because we want it on every corner). Sounds a lot like Old Testament Israel and Judah as described in Ezekiel, doesn't it? God's lists of their sins continued to grow as they kept feeding their need for more and more idol worship.
That's the thing about false idols - those who worship them have to keep upping the ante. Like potato chips, enough is never enough.
Homeschoolers can fall into the trap of worshipping a certain method of curriculum. We can succumb to the temptation to believe we're the "only ones left" who are doing things God's way (check out the life of Elijah to see what God says to us when we think we're the only ones left...). What will the future of America be if we don't raise the next generation the right way? Umm, well if God's way of doing things teaches us who He will use, then we might want to check our motives and our heart condition, because He uses guys like Peter and Saul of Tarsus. Women like Rahab (the harlot) and Ruth (the Moabite) are mentioned in Jesus' family tree, and they were not well mannered homeschool girls.
I say this all to remind myself (more than anyone else reading this post) that I do not have it all figured out, and I am not given a guarantee that all things will turn out just like I hope as long as I follow a certain homeschooling formula. I say this in the hope that I will continue to homeschool to God's glory without letting my homeschool become an idol. I say this with the intention of having any and all misconceptions about Who God is and how He works washed away by knowing Jesus better and better one day at a time.
Keep Jesus the focus of your homeschool, keep your heart open and accountable to your husband and to friends who will give you honest council, and be sure your children don't usurp your husband's place in your life and you will be well on your way to keeping the false homeschooling idols at bay.
May you be blessed beyond measure by the Lord, and may His grace cover your family and your homeschool!
Day 103 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.HomeschoolingMothersBibleStudy.com
Watch for a post tomorrow that answers the questions I've received about organizing your homeschool and preventing diabetes!
It's pretty easy to read a book like Ezekiel and feel as if we're living light-years ahead of the Israelites. After all, we could reason, we don't have Asherah poles in our front yards and pagan altars on our back porches. There are no "high places" in our garages or basements - are there??
What the Old Testament often refers to as "high places" may not still exist in exactly the same form, but we do have plenty of false idols in our midst. Oh and don't think we're exempt just because we're homeschooling moms. If God's chosen people didn't get a free pass for being the children of Abraham, we don't get one either. (Let me clarify - I am in no way disputing the fact that as Christians we are subject to the New Covenant and live under grace rather than the law. I believe that with every fiber of my being. I'm saying that abusing God's grace through idol worship is just plain wrong.)
We have plenty of "high places" scattered across our country - the massive sports stadiums built just for us to worship the team of our choosing prove it. Our ability to satisfy the false idol of "stuff" with a few clicks of a mouse via the world wide web is another case in point. What about our ridiculous worship of food in the United States? How many drive-thru options do we really need? (I'll give you a hint - we don't need any; we only have fast-food on every corner because we want it on every corner). Sounds a lot like Old Testament Israel and Judah as described in Ezekiel, doesn't it? God's lists of their sins continued to grow as they kept feeding their need for more and more idol worship.
That's the thing about false idols - those who worship them have to keep upping the ante. Like potato chips, enough is never enough.
Homeschoolers can fall into the trap of worshipping a certain method of curriculum. We can succumb to the temptation to believe we're the "only ones left" who are doing things God's way (check out the life of Elijah to see what God says to us when we think we're the only ones left...). What will the future of America be if we don't raise the next generation the right way? Umm, well if God's way of doing things teaches us who He will use, then we might want to check our motives and our heart condition, because He uses guys like Peter and Saul of Tarsus. Women like Rahab (the harlot) and Ruth (the Moabite) are mentioned in Jesus' family tree, and they were not well mannered homeschool girls.
I say this all to remind myself (more than anyone else reading this post) that I do not have it all figured out, and I am not given a guarantee that all things will turn out just like I hope as long as I follow a certain homeschooling formula. I say this in the hope that I will continue to homeschool to God's glory without letting my homeschool become an idol. I say this with the intention of having any and all misconceptions about Who God is and how He works washed away by knowing Jesus better and better one day at a time.
Keep Jesus the focus of your homeschool, keep your heart open and accountable to your husband and to friends who will give you honest council, and be sure your children don't usurp your husband's place in your life and you will be well on your way to keeping the false homeschooling idols at bay.
May you be blessed beyond measure by the Lord, and may His grace cover your family and your homeschool!
Day 103 done :)
Jan L. Burt
www.HomeschoolingMothersBibleStudy.com
Watch for a post tomorrow that answers the questions I've received about organizing your homeschool and preventing diabetes!
Wow -- another great post! Very thought provoking for sure! And if you want MY opninion (I know you didn't ask for it lol), I believe you have it all together more than just about anyone I know. You are amazing and wear all of your hats beautifully!!!
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