What is greater than God? .......... Parables 700

January 16, 2001

Harper’s magazine features an “Index” of unusual, startling, or simply weird statistics. In a recent issue they included a survey that showed how American school children rank important people. The results? Bill Clinton is first. ‘Myself’ stands in eleventh place and lagging at nineteenth is God.

This survey reflects their value system. It is taught and modeled to them, more by media and example than pedagogy. Who has dominated the U.S. news in the last few years? By hearing more about President Clinton than any other person, children naturally think he is the most important. If children equate the most news to what is the most important, maybe God should get more press coverage. Instead, the media seems to think He is “politically incorrect.”

Our nation is pushing God out of its value system but we need to beware; the former Soviet Union did that too. For seventy-five years and with systematic determination, they declared God did not exist and tried to destroy all evidence of Him or faith in Him. Did it work?

Even that powerful nation could not get rid of God but they almost obliterated the moral integrity of their people. They have fallen into social, economic and spiritual ruin. Now, over eighty percent of Soviet banks are owned by the Russian mob. The average person lives in fear and poverty. Crime and alcoholism are rampant. Marriage and birth rates have dropped and suicides are up.

Christian missionaries report that the average Russian has little or no discernment in spiritual matters. In their hunger for truth, they grasp at anything ‘religious’ and many fall victim to exploitive cults. They miss the good news of Jesus Christ that can bring them deliverance. Some think this once atheistic nation will never pull out of the depths to which it has fallen.

While North America seems a long way from that same downward spiral, our nation does not need to become communist to neglect the spiritual life of its people. How can any thinking person not connect the immorality in our part of the world with the neglect of both God and morals? Our apathy, materialism, and busyness are just as effective as communism. We spend our days going to school or work, running errands, watching television, playing games or sports, doing activities not necessarily harmful, but exclusive. We lift up the dollar, our comfort, our personal wants and wishes, and push God out. Our spirits are becoming atrophied.

We need to talk about God again, but a vast majority frowns on those who freely discuss the Lord. We want our children to know about God but who will teach them? Their school teachers are forbidden to teach morals never mind lessons on God, and their peers are more apt to curse Him than intelligently and seriously discuss Him.

Is our society on a slippery slope? Can our downward slide be thwarted? Perhaps. God says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Note, God asks His people to call on Him, not those who neglect Him but those called by His name. He wants Christians to recognize our shortcomings, our neglect, our sinful attitudes. If we do, and if we turn from them, His promise seems to cover far more than just us.

Dear God, how can a child put you first without any teaching or a good example? My granddaughter asked this riddle: What is greater than God and worse than Satan? What do the rich want and the poor have? Her answer: Nothing! May my words and example demonstrate to her how true that is: there is nothing or no one greater than You.