
So what will happen if we continue down the path of "higher learning" being fed to us and our children? We will end up encouraging people in areas that they are not good in. Where there used to be a ribbon only for first place, soon we saw second and third place. Now it goes down to ten places or more. Everyone is special, everyone is good and beautiful, when this simply isn't so. The very beginning of Psalms tells the story: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away." So here we see that God judges someone's worth, their beauty based on the true measurable value of godliness, that is the closeness one is to God. And this makes sense since the only thing that truly has meaning is God and things ordained by God. For this is the meaning behind the book of Ecclesiastes. This error can happen with parents to children or between spouses. It's a degradation and slow depreciation of true worth in humanity, so that when something truly admirable, honorable, or noteworthy and the encouragement comes, it has a diminished effect due to the ingenuousness of the reward motivation.
What does this entail for the Christian? In one's difficulty with sin, one may have an inner attitude of, "well, I'm not special enough to work this hard to receive the prize I'm after with God" I'm no Mosses or Elisha, I'm just Brandon. But EVERY saint is called to a higher purpose to please God in His loving kindness. I say loving kindness because every bit of progress we make is to the great passion and excitement of our coaching Father, leaning us on our difficult path to greatness! No small step is overlooked by the gentle gaze of our Abba Father, as we grow in Him, sanctifying ourselves to be holy by grace through faith for the Judgement seat of Christ.
PRAISE GOD IN THE HIGHEST! That's where credit is due.