Monday, June 23, 2008

God’s TV Guide

Is watching TV bad for you?

My guess is that people watch what interests them at the time. Seems harmless enough. But what if your favorite TV show is shaping your beliefs, your behavior and your speech?

Hold it right there for just a minute. It’s just TV. What harm could it do?

Last year the Culture and Media Institute reported that 68 percent of Americans think media has damaged the moral values of our nation.

The report, The Media Assault on American Values, concluded that the more a person watches television the less likely he will be to accept responsibility for his own life. He will also be more likely to ignore his obligations to the people around him.

In addition, the more a person watches TV, the less likely he is to conduct himself honestly, reliably and fairly. And the more permissive his attitudes toward moral issues—such as divorce, sex outside of marriage, abortion and homosexuality—are likely to be.

It also observed that the more a person watches television, the less likely he is to honor godly values and religion in public life. Religious principles and obedience to God become less important.

In other words, when you put an idle mind in front of a TV set, watch out. Bad things can happen. Responsibility, morality and critical thinking skills all deteriorate.

So before you dismiss concerns about watching too much TV as just “parent talk” or “preacher talk,” think again. (Not to mention that those concerns come from a reliable source!)

Long before the age of television, God warned his people about the danger of images. Why? Because he knows that what we see affects how we think.

In the Ten Commandments, God said, “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.”

For people in Bible times, the danger was images (idols) representing pagan gods and behavior God had forbidden. Why? Because those images might seduce them into sin.

Some think God forbids things as sin because he doesn’t want us to have any fun. But the truth is that God wants us to enjoy life to the fullest. Since he created us, he knows what brings us joy or what brings us sadness.

What God forbids as sin are things that will harm, sicken or destroy us. And what doesn’t harm us physically may hurt us spiritually. Or destroy our closest relationships.

No wonder the Psalmist, David, says, “I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate” (Psalm 101:3).

You could call that statement God’s TV Guide. If you use it as your entertainment filter, it rules out more than half of TV programs and movies!

Later the psalmist prays in Psalm 119:37, “Turn my eyes away from worthless things.”

Is that a prayer you need to pray? Pray it and then change the channel.

Or, instead of watching something, read a good book. How about the Good Book? When was the last time you picked up a Bible just to encourage your faith?

If the Bible is new to you, start by reading the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It will introduce you to Jesus Christ. You’ll hear his amazing teaching about God’s love for you. And you’ll see why Jesus chose to die on the cross for your sin and mine. It’s a real page-turner!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Warning Signs

“I’m warning you! One more time and I’m coming down there!”

That’s how parents talk when a child misbehaves. I know I did. Because there comes a time when you can’t put up with disobedience any more.

The Bible says that God loves us. He is forgiving. But it also says there comes a point when he says, “Enough!”

That point came in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. It says, “The earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence…So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.’”

Violence is one of the things God hates. So he sent a flood to create a fresh start.

Later God sent Moses with a moral code. And then he sent Jesus to change our hearts.

The Bible challenges us to “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” It tells us “Now is the day of salvation.”

Meanwhile violent stories still fill the news. There are reports of murder and abuse. Even small towns have their share of violence. Ask the school principals and police chiefs.

Violence seems to be everywhere. No country is exempt.

Our entertainment is full of violence. Most TV dramas focus on murders. By the time we’re adults we’ve seen so much violence that we’re numb to it.

Violent video games are defended as entertainment. Sporting events turn into brawls when tempers flair. Parents, athletes and fans alike come out swinging.

Even though God gave humanity a fresh start after Noah’s flood, violence is in our nature. And a day of reckoning is coming. Again.

According to the Bible, God gave the rainbow as a sign he would never destroy the earth again with water. But the Bible also warns us “the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

God’s advice? “Since everything will be destroyed this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives…. Our Lord’s patience means salvation.”

Well, hold on just a minute! What’s all this talk of judgment? Is God really patient?

Yes, God is patient. “He is patient with you not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.” But his patience has a limit.

We now have judges in America that disdain and reject the Judeo-Christian foundations of our civilization. People who believe and practice the morality of our country’s founders are called bigots, haters and worse. What happened to our sense of shame?

What if Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were to return today? I doubt they would recognize the nation they founded. They might demand to know what we did with it!

I wonder how close God is to saying, “I’m warning you! One more time and I’m coming down there!” It might be sooner than we think.

At one time America was the envy of the world. God blessed America. But no more.

The solution? “Return to me, declares the Lord Almighty, and I will return to you…Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.”

We see the sickness. We have the cure. Will we take the medicine? That’s the question.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Father Knows Best

Could a classic TV show bring you closer to God?

Older folks remember a program from the 1950’s called “Father Knows Best.” It was about insurance agent Jim Anderson and his wife, Margaret, raising their son and two daughters in Springfield, a typical Midwestern community.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications recalls it as, “one of a slew of middle-class family sitcoms in which moms were moms, kids were kids, and fathers knew best.”

Some modern descriptions of the program call it “idealized” and “overly rosy.” I remember watching it as a boy and thinking it was normal—a lot like my world.

Plots were simple and often centered around a moral lesson. And although dad (played by Robert Young) wasn’t always right—and sometimes lost his temper—the show portrayed a family stability envied by many today.

Well hold on just a minute! What’s a TV show got to do with one’s relationship to God?

Good question. And the answer is in the title.

Even though Jim Anderson didn’t always know best, Christians have a Heavenly Father who does. The trouble is we don’t always listen to him.

The Bible is full of people who, like Frank Sinatra, did it “my way.” Jacob, Moses, Jonah and Saul of Tarsus are a few that come to mind. They all thought THEY knew best.

But through trial and error, they discovered “there is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” God, it turns out, knows what he’s talking about!

What we usually do is rely on our friends’ opinions. Just like one up and coming leader in the Bible named Rehoboam. He ignored God and he split his father Solomon’s kingdom.

The reason the Bible records so many people’s lives is so we can learn from them. Learn mistakes to avoid and learn the benefit and blessing of obeying God.
We need to learn to ask God, our Father for direction. Only he knows what is best for us!

What’s interesting is that many Christians do ask what God wants them to do. They listen in church. They read their Bibles. But when God answers, they don’t follow through!

Maybe the answer isn’t the one they wanted. Often they hope God will give them permission to do what they want to do anyway. Even if it will hurt them.

But God loves us more than that. The life he calls us to live is the path of blessing. When he forbids or denies our requests it’s usually to prevent us pain--or worse.

Sadly, so many people seem intent on going their own way. And that proves God is right about the human heart. The Bible says, “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”

Often I’ll watch this process happen in someone’s life and wonder, “What does it take for us to learn to obey God? How much do we have to suffer? How many lives will be ruined?”

Usually it takes hitting the “bottom of the barrel.”

Thankfully God is patient. When we return to him with our lives shattered, our hearts broken and our pride humbled—he forgives us through Christ and gives us a new beginning.

Finally we learn that our Heavenly Father really does know best.

Jesus said, “If you love me you will obey what I command.” And then he asks, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?”

Christian, what are you waiting for? Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Happy Ending

“All’s well that ends well.” So said Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon.

And we desperately want it to be so. To end well and be happy.

In just a few days, the moment high school seniors have anticipated for months will arrive. Graduation. A time for happy endings.

Despite it being a time of celebration, some will be disappointed. They expected, hoped and planned to graduate, but at the last minute came up short.

An assignment, a grade or a credit short—the reason doesn’t really matter. A miss is a miss. “An inch is as good as a mile.”

However, even those who “made it” are in for a surprise. Happiness fades. The spotlight moves to someone else. The daily grind resumes and life returns to normal.

Life chews you up. Life spits you out. Next please!

If all you live for is the moment, it’s gone in a flash. And the mountaintop high can suddenly become a Death Valley low. Talk about a roller coaster life!

Well hold on just a minute. What’s wrong here?

Does anyone who pursues happiness in this life ever catch it? Sometimes. But it’s as fragile and fleeting as Bob Lind’s “Elusive Butterfly.” Did you ever hear that old sixties song?

It was one of my favorites. A song that resonated with many people. Chasing love or chasing happiness—both seem to escape us when we desperately want them the most.

The truth is this: Life lets you down. It disappoints everyone. Even when you get your hands on the brass ring, you discover it’s tarnished.

It’s only when we get to know the God of the Bible that life begins to make sense.

God’s Word tells us that even good people experience difficulty. “A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all.” And “though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”

What makes the difference? A right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

It doesn’t say that God works good into all things. It says he works all things together for the good of those who love him. Right relationship results in a happy ending.

The journey may be difficult, but when life is over it ends well for the child of God.

When your life is over, what will you find on the other side? Many see no reason to believe in God. They gamble their eternal destiny for a few moments of brief pleasure.

Instead, consider Pascal’s wager.

The great scientist, mathematician and philosopher reasoned, “If I am wrong about God existing, then neither of us would even know it, because we would both die and cease to exist, and all consciousness would disappear. But, on the other hand, if I am right and you are wrong, when we both die, I will go to heaven, and you will go to hell. Now, it seems to me that any intelligent person would bet on the right side of that wager.”

Look down the road. We’ll all be dead much longer than we live on this planet. That’s a “sure thing.” And when you run the numbers, wisdom instructs us to plan for eternity.

Will you see a happy ending? All’s well that ends well--as long as it ends in heaven!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!

Lake Side Church of the Brethren

http://www.lakesidecob.org/

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