THE ADDENDUM.....
LOOK..... I am not getting on the
case of anybody personally concerning these things that I write
about... that is, about God's instructions for life and our
disobedience to such. If anything... I think I am very qualified to
speak on such matters for a few reasons..... 1.) I lived most
of my adult life (40+ years) as an enemy of God, married to this
world and almost all (or, so it seems) of its vices and so-called
pleasures. 2.) Upon my being born again/saved and the
progression and growth through the next few years in my new life, I
found it very easy to see (understand) the stark difference between
the average American life, and the life that Scripture/Jesus says
that we should live. 3.) I began (fairly shortly after
beginning to follow Christ) examining my life and the things that I
fed on spiritually/mentally, and I noticed that MUCH of it was not in
line with God's instructions for believers. I began with movies,
music, books, magazines, & the computer/TV. No... I didn't do
away with any & all movies, just the ones that I knew my Lord &
Savior would NOT approve of! I did not swear off of all music...
just the stuff that I was certain did NOT honor God! Instead of
throwing out all books & magazines, I put God's Word alone at the
top of my reading list, as well as any books that were about Him, for
Him, praising Him, and the (now) hundreds of
commentaries/devotionals/Christian living books... and then I had
books and magazines about beautiful parts of the world as well as
wildlife! I would call these “Creation Books”! Then I threw out
anything else. As for the computer and TV... that is something that I
have to be diligent about daily. You see...NONE of these media are
inherently evil. I remember many years ago when some preachers were
quick to call the television “Satan In A Box”! The fact is...
scripture (James 1:13-15) says, “let no man say when he is
tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is
drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath
conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death.” So... it is not the appliance that is the
evil thing, it is our mind (Jeremiah 17:9). when used
appropriately, these items/media can be very effective tools for
ministry as well as pleasure, as long as the pleasure fits with
Scripture (Psalm 37:4)!So...when it came to cleaning house, I guess I got it right because.... I
don't miss any of it! 4.) I
believe that the Holy Spirit quickened and called me at that unique
and pre-appointed time for the same reason as the one who was blind
in John 9.... for His Glory! God knew that anyone who knew me
and/or my story (testimony) would be left with a true understanding
of 1Cor. 1:26.... “that not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called:” In fact, I relate so
well to what that formerly blind man who said, “...Once I was
blind, but now I see.” And lastly... 5.) I know first-hand
that He is so very faithful to his word, and that anyone who is a
believer and calls upon Him in sincerity for wisdom (James 1:5),
will be blessed with it many times over what they would have
imagined! And... with that wisdom, tell me.... who would continue to
dine upon the slop of this world instead of a feast from Heaven?! OK,
those are a few of the many reasons that I feel like I can talk about
this subject with understanding. But... the #1 reason is... it's
BIBLICAL, not just something I made up!
Indeed, I think it is easier for
anyone who is converted late in life to see the sharp contrast
between the life of a non-believer and a true believer. Of course
you see that I used the words “true believer” in opposition to
the non-believer, instead of just saying “believer”. The reason
for that is simple... the latest polls have shown that approximately
half of the worlds population (and approx. 2/3rds in America) profess
to be Christians. Any Christian knows... that is not the case. If
those polls were true.... Would hate & violence rule much of the
world? Would a LARGE % of the worlds population be starving to death
or in such abject poverty that they are barely surviving? How about
the millions upon multiplied millions of babies being killed via
abortions? All it takes is a pause to reflect on these sobering
questions to understand that.... obviously... not ALL who profess to
be christian are true believers. Scripture (1 John...among several
other NT books) give us very explicit directions to see... to
find out... & delineate... who is “in Christ”, and who isn't.
I know.... it's that kind of talk that will have many ready to quote
me their favorite verse “Judge not lest ye be judged...”, of
course...totally out of context. Never mind all those scriptures that
command you TO JUDGE (1Cor. 5:9-13, as well as others), as well as
those that, to obey... you are required to judge (2Cor. 6:15, as well
as others). OK... a few questions...
- Why would someone (who professes to be a Christian) who is gifted/blessed with an incredibly beautiful voice... one that the world is just crazy over, THANK... the creator/giver of that gift by using it to sing about lust, infidelity, vanity, greed, violence, and anything else that will sell and make them lots of money (oops...I might have answered my own question)?
- What about a gifted actor/actress (also professes Christ), why would they take a lead roll in what looked like it could be a career-maker after reading the script and knowing that it required a torrid love scene & oh so brief partial nudity? After all... they're married. Same question... even if they weren't married.
- Then there is the star athlete who knows they will have a quarter or more of their year on the road away from their spouse in posh hotels, with nothing but time, loneliness, and money on their hands. MEN.... if you have ANY problem at all with lustful thoughts/actions... DON'T TEMPT TEMPTATION!
- It's like the man who tells you that he loves to read, and he reads the best at the crowded beach on spring break. Yeah.... right.... OR... the woman who starts out reading the romance novels, and then advances to a different author that writes a little steamier version.... then, an on-line affair... then... something steamier...
“Okay, you say... so what's your
point?” It does not just say, “Abstain from all evil” in 1
Thess. 5:22, it says, “Abstain from all APPEARANCE of
evil !” Believer... do NOT put yourselves in these positions by
having anything even remotely resembling things dishonoring, and
disobedient to God in your life at all. Even if you think that these
things are not a temptation you will fall to, they can cause your
brother or sister to stumble (read Romans 15), and besmirch the name
of our Lord.
In summation, Christianity is about
LOVE... the LOVE OF GOD! Not the multitude of pseudo, or FAX loves
the world will try and get you to bite on. Yep, just like fishing.
Satan baits his line with that ingeniously crafted FAX
(facsimile...of the original) love, the WORLDS version of love: and
he's got those little lures in every shape, color, and size! He is
indeed crafty you know...been at it a long time. Don't fall for the
worlds (read...SATAN) seemingly harmless lures. But, I'm afraid you
will IF you don't do something about your spiritual diet. Dig in to
the Lords feast... His manna... for this is one diet where there is
no such thing as overeating. This food is packed with every good
thing for your spiritual life. One of the truly great verses about
this is Philippians 4:4-9, which gives you the avenue to &
assurance of His marvelous Peace. And when we keep our minds on
those things in verse 8, people know us by the fact that (Galatians
5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law!”) we increase in the fruits of
the spirit, and the peace and love of God shines through! I love the
end of verse 23...”against such there is no law”! Isn't that
great... just knock yourself out, love all you want, be joyous all
the time, have unlimited peace, etc...! WOW!!!
For the last verse to share...
Colossians 3:12-16 ; It's such a wonderful passage! Look at verse
14... “And above all these things put on charity (see:1Cor.13),
which is the bond of perfectness.” WOW! That word CHARITY.... this
world has made it out to be a bad word.... you know, “Hey... we
don't accept charity”, and the like. Charity doesn't just mean
love, but more like... yeah, you guessed it, “UNCONDITIONAL LOVE”!
May God Bless You As You Read His
Word
AMEN
