As
a young child, I loved watching movies and videos. There was
probably nothing that I would rather do than settle down in front of a
lit-up TV screen. The TV in the basement rarely came on, but when it
did light up with Mary Poppins, Chitty-chitty Bang-bang, Sound of
Music, or some other video, my delight could hardly be described.
Mother and Daddy were always good about not letting us watch too many
videos (for which I am glad) Somewhere in between here, I
was brought to faith in Christ.
Then, a year or so ago, someone sent us two DVD's - not Christian, just
secular, old family movies. We watched one of them one
evening, and the next morning at my devotions, I found myself
fighting desperately to keep my mind on God's word. Scenes from
the movie came back again and again. They weren't necessarily bad
scenes, but they filled my mind. In anguish, I thought, "So help
me God - I never want to watch a secular movie again." That is
the foundation of life experience on which this blog post is written:
My heart is burdened these days about the amount of television and
movies many Americans view, including some Christians. I am not
concerned about it as if it were outright disobedience (there is no
command, "Do not watch television"). I am sad because so many
people forfeit God's best for their life by frittering their time away
on legitimate, but worthless things. I am sad that Christians want to watch secular movies.
To set the affections of our hearts on things above is humanly
un-natural, yes humanly impossible, and thus requires much grace from
God, prayer and meditation on Scripture. It seems that a God
directed state of heart is so fragile, it can be swept away by the
smallest thing. And television can crush it so quickly!
It's hard to be spiritually-minded - why make it harder with secular tv
shows and movies? Of course, R-rated movies and trash TV are terribly
destructive to holiness, but so-called clean and "family" movies or tv
shows can also be detrimental to the fervency of devotion that
Christians desire to have.
I'm not talking about a law. Clean TV programs are not necessarily a sin to watch. It's desire I'm talking about. Do I desire to have a deep awareness of the presence of God, a rich fullness of His word? Or do I desire
to be entertained and have an hour of fun, even at the expense of an
hour of growth in grace. (It is important to remember also, that
our desire is fueled by being fed what it wants) Can I say after
watching a movie or tv program, "Oh how I love Thy law! It is my
meditation all the day!" It may be true of a few movies and programs,
but it is not so with most of the media available today, including the
"family" shows.
What makes them so spiritually dulling? The comfortable absence of God.
What
is immoral? Is it violence? Is it nudity and immodesty? Is it bad
language? Yes, yes and yes. But it is also immoral to neglect
God. "Whether you eat or you drink, or whatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God." (I Cor. 10:31) Secular movies simply ignore the
Glorious Creator of the World, andthat is evil. Unlike the sodomy
and violence that fills many tv screens, this evil is subtle and creeps
into the households of a sadly large number of people. God is not
acknowledged, and as far as the people on the screen are concerned,
it's just fine that way.
Just
test yourself after you watch a secular movie. Where is your hunger for
God? Where is your desire to read His Word? I have found at such
times that holy desires are far away . Is it a wonder so many
Christians lack holiness, fervent devotion and spiritual power when
their brains are tuned to entertainment?
Why starve your poor soul? Why feed on that which makes you spiritually malnourished?
I
pray for people that God would cause them to lose taste for the things
of this world, that he would do as the psalmist says, "Turn my eyes
away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your
word."
I got this quote from Horatius Bonar on a blog, and though it speaks of reading, it applies very well to television:
"Specially
beware of light reading
The light literature of the day is working a
world of harm; vitiating the taste of the young, enervating their
minds, unfitting them for lifes plain work, eating out their love of
the Bible, teaching them a false morality, and creating in the soul an
unreal standard of truth, and beauty, and love. Dont be too fond of
the newspaper. Yet read it, that you may know both what man is doing
and what God is doing; and extract out of all you read matter for
thought and prayer
Let your reading be always select; and whatever you
read, begin with seeking Gods blessing on it. But see that your relish
for the Bible be above every other enjoyment, and the moment you begin
to feel greater relish for any other book, lay it down till you have
sought deliverance from such a snare, and obtained from the Holy Spirit
an intenser relish, a keener appetite for the Word of God (Jer. 15:16)."
Well, that was a long post, but I hope that whoever reads it is
encouraged by it, to more wholeheartedly pursue God's word, God's
kingdom, love and good deeds.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
-Hebrews 10:24 ESV
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - ???