greener grass
I've just finished reading The Greener Grass Conspiracy by Stephen Altrogge. Easy to read, helpful, and "don't-mince-words-just-get-to-the-point" in style, Stephen points out the fatal error we are prone to as humans: that life will be better..."when I have..." We all know this error.
But for me, the "aha" moment came last night when our family was gathered around the dinner table. My husband has been reading to us from The Book of Acts, and we were going over the story of Ananias and Sapphira. It took a few tries from our girls to guess what this infamous couple had really done wrong. At first, the girls were stuck. Then it began to dawn on them...that this couple's motive of looking generous in the eyes of men was more important to them than anything else. No one told the couple they had to sell their land. No one told them they had to give all the money to the church. No one told them true Christians did that sort of thing. But somehow, they saw what everyone else was doing with right motives, and assumed they could do it too, even with wrong motives. Outward conformity without inward change is dangerous. Deadly, even. Lying to God (not that that's really possible) is pretending we are good when we know we are not.
Some would argue that the penalty for Ananias and Sapphira's deception seems a bit steep. Immediate death? Really? God is all-wise and good. His swift punishment of their deception left an imprint on that first church. Don't lie to look good before men. God sees. God knows. God is not mocked.
So, how was this my "aha" moment for tying in the message of The Greener Grass Conspiracy? Well, as our family talked more, we uncovered the reality of where Ananias and Sapphira's real treasure was...and it wasn't in the kingdom of heaven. They were living for this life only. They wanted to look generous (receive praise) and keep the goods that made them economically secure. They hoped in all the wrong things. For them, the grass was greener in the "here and now" way of living. Heaven, Christ, His people, and all that is tied up with The Kingdom of God just wasn't green enough grass for them.
Wanting anything other than God and his Kingdom leads to death...eventually. This should appropriately put the fear of the Lord in our hearts. He is all and more than all we need. More than enough. There simply is no greener grass. And one day, Heaven will prove it. Hold on. The true "greener grass" is yet to come.
But for me, the "aha" moment came last night when our family was gathered around the dinner table. My husband has been reading to us from The Book of Acts, and we were going over the story of Ananias and Sapphira. It took a few tries from our girls to guess what this infamous couple had really done wrong. At first, the girls were stuck. Then it began to dawn on them...that this couple's motive of looking generous in the eyes of men was more important to them than anything else. No one told the couple they had to sell their land. No one told them they had to give all the money to the church. No one told them true Christians did that sort of thing. But somehow, they saw what everyone else was doing with right motives, and assumed they could do it too, even with wrong motives. Outward conformity without inward change is dangerous. Deadly, even. Lying to God (not that that's really possible) is pretending we are good when we know we are not.
Some would argue that the penalty for Ananias and Sapphira's deception seems a bit steep. Immediate death? Really? God is all-wise and good. His swift punishment of their deception left an imprint on that first church. Don't lie to look good before men. God sees. God knows. God is not mocked.
So, how was this my "aha" moment for tying in the message of The Greener Grass Conspiracy? Well, as our family talked more, we uncovered the reality of where Ananias and Sapphira's real treasure was...and it wasn't in the kingdom of heaven. They were living for this life only. They wanted to look generous (receive praise) and keep the goods that made them economically secure. They hoped in all the wrong things. For them, the grass was greener in the "here and now" way of living. Heaven, Christ, His people, and all that is tied up with The Kingdom of God just wasn't green enough grass for them.
Wanting anything other than God and his Kingdom leads to death...eventually. This should appropriately put the fear of the Lord in our hearts. He is all and more than all we need. More than enough. There simply is no greener grass. And one day, Heaven will prove it. Hold on. The true "greener grass" is yet to come.
Comments
Post a Comment