Romans 11
By Pastor Steve
Spoiled Faith
Have you ever witnessed the attitude of a spoiled child? I think that most of us have experienced a child who has learned how to manipulate life’s situations and circumstances in order to obtain personal desires. We have seen them on the floors of stores kicking and screaming in an attempt to embarrass parents in order to attain whatever it is that the child is wanting. We have watched them as they pout with the whole body (the face alone pout doesn’t quite cut it) in order to make the parent feel bad and cave in to the child’s desire. We have heard them yell at and argue with parents in order to get their point across that they deserve more in life just because they were born. We have witnessed how they interact with other children with their “I am better than you” attitude that wreaks havoc for everyone in their path from parents to siblings to friends to teachers. The biggest problem I recognize with this attitude is that if left uncorrected, these children become conceited, narcissistic, self-centered adults.
In many ways, the same attitude can exist in people as they grow in faith. People can allow their faith to become “spoiled” through unrealistic expectations and selfish desires. That is exactly what Paul was addressing in the 11th chapter of the book of Romans. Paul was explaining to the followers in Rome how and why they had been grafted into the faith of the Israelites. The people of Israel had become so full of themselves and so prideful of their faith system that they began to feel superior to non-Jewish people—Gentiles—and became conceited and self-centered simply because they had been born Jewish. Their haughty attitudes caused them to develop hardened hearts and disobedient attitudes toward the Lord.
We all need to remember that birthright does not constitute some sort of “religious right” to a relationship with the Lord. Little children are to be raised in faith and taught that faith is something they will someday choose. The best way we lead a child to a personal relationship with the Lord is to raise the child in the instruction of the Scriptures. Then when the Scriptures are the motivation of the heart, the heart will not turn from God but rather turn toward God.
Blessings on The Journey
