MORNING MANNA            2-9-21

It’s common to hear someone say “Are you serious?” That’s a question that might be asked in disbelief, disappointment, or in genuine sincerity. Some things are so outrageous that we feel compelled to make such an inquiry. But this is also a question that we Christians need to ask ourselves. Are you serious?

It’s obvious that some folks aren’t as serious about serving God as they want you to believe. I saw an example of this about 50 years ago when I pastored a church in Fairgrove, Mo. The wife of a dairy farmer made a profession of faith and united with the church. Her husband who owned a large dairy farm was an alcoholic and refused to attend. He would have been a wealthy man had it not been for his drinking, but he couldn’t stop. Repeatedly his wife asked me to talk to him and pray for him. But he didn’t want anything to do with me or the church, and everytime I drove up he would hide. On one occasion, after he threatened to kill himself I literally chased him on foot all over the farm, but to no avail. Finally one day I caught him off guard while he was busy in the barn. I pulled up, parked the car, and waded through the mud and the other stuff you expect to find in a barnyard, and caught him. To my great surprise he listened as I shared the gospel with him and then made a profession of faith. Afterward he was baptized and started attending church regularly and tithing. Then a strange thing happened. His wife stopped attending! Her explanation was that he was getting too serious about religion. He wanted to attend every service and tithe and that was more than she was willing to do. She wanted him to stop drinking and wasting money, but had no real interest in his spiritual welfare, nor hers evidently. Point is, she wasn’t nearly as serious as she pretended to be when she requested my help.

While not everybody goes to her extreme, it’s clear that a great many people aren’t really serious about serving God. They treat Christianity like entertainment or a hobby. They don’t mind attending church occasionally and they might even enjoy it, but they aren’t interested in getting involved by way of service – in their mind that’s getting too serious. They set strict limits on just how far they are willing to go for God.

In some cases what appears to be faithfulness to God is nothing more than fun for them – the fulfillment of their selfish desire rather than devotion to the Lord. They attend church because they love the singing, enjoy the preaching, and look forward to the fellowship. They attend all the services and activities, and even invite their friends. They are well respected and respectful to others. However, their interest is more for self-gratification than for the glory of God. Genuine concern for God’s glory is manifested by loving cheerful obedience to His will. So, unless we are “doers of the Word” we aren’t justified in saying we are serious about our relationship with God. The question then is, “Are you serious?”. Think about it! – HDS