Pride and Recognition

Our sermon in church last Sunday was on Mark 6 – Herod’s motivation, and John’s beheading. One major point was that most sin comes back to the sin of pride. For Herod and for that matter the world of nonbelievers in general, pride shows itself through making recognition, accomplishment and effort their focus.

This relates to education at Bios this way: Our purpose as a Christian school is to focus on honoring our God. Yes, we want our students to have and be recognized for their accomplishments and efforts. And that recognition should be made with a strong effort.

Education at Bios is not for us to satisfy the wants of the flesh. In honoring God, our accomplishments, recognition, and efforts are completed to further our service to God through our church families, and work.

Recently during a teacher screening interview, the candidate spoke about her teaching career. Most of it had been at public schools and only in the past few years had she had the opportunity to instruct students in a Christian school. She offered that those few years in the Christian school were by far the most enjoyable of her career. Then she said “Mr. Ihms, the difference is Christ. The education I gave for those many years (in public schools) was so empty. With Christ, there is purpose and hope.”

Even though our accomplishments, recognition, and efforts may look similar to public schools, they are not. The differences should be as distinct as night is from day; from children raised in an orphanage to children growing up in a loving home. Our students should stand out as confident, well-mannered, God-fearing students with academic skills our culture expects, and a work ethic to honor their God with. Students of a Christian school should work towards following this command – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men . . .”

Though we are in this world we are not to be of this world.