No Neutral Ground

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

Choosing Sides in the Kingdom Conflict

The students at my school work on memorizing Colossians 3:1-17. This great passage from Paul begins with a charge and ends with a challenge. The book-ends of this passage are a clear call to our minds, hearts and lives:

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth . . . And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

This passage is one of many in the Bible that call us to see a clear distinction in everything in life: The ways of God and His kingdom are very different from and in complete opposition to the ways of the world and our flesh. We are called to seek heavenly things and Godly things, not earthly things. We are called to do everything we do in the name of Jesus, and not for our own glory or even for “the greater good of humanity.”

In other words, the things the world seeks, the things the world thinks about, and the motivation the world has for doing things are ALL wrong, self-centered and completely opposed to God’s ways. The Christian is called to turn his back on the things of the world and to seek God’s priorities and God’s thoughts for the glory of God.

As parents, that means that our dreams and aspirations for our kids must be very different. We should be most concerned for the condition of our children’s souls and hearts before God. We should help them shape their life’s mission, values and vision in terms of God’s calling and purposes for the world and for their lives.

As a school, it means that we seek excellence in all things not so we can have a great name in the community, not so we can build a glorious empire, not so we can have the highest test scores, and not even so we can be the best preparation for college for our students. Of course, we do want to be the very best in everything we do. As a school, that means having the very best academic program, but we want to do it all in the name of Jesus and for the glory of God. Many Christian institutions (including Harvard and Yale) have lost sight of this purpose and have drifted into secular purposes and human measures of excellence. We pray that God will keep our focus clearly fixed on Him and His kingdom and His glory!

This has profoundly practical implications for our lives as parents and educators:

• What does excellence look like?
• How does excellence relate to faithfulness?
• What results should we be seeking and how do we measure them?

We invite you to think and pray through these issues with us, as we seek to honor God and advance His kingdom in Harford County. If we want the very best, that means we want God’s very best, not the cheap imitation the world has to offer. We value your partnership with us as we continue to strive after God’s goals in all we do.