For thought and meditation

[rl69]

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. —1 Corinthians 6:12 I heard a caller on a Christian radio station say, “I just became a Christian. I was wondering what Christians do for fun?” I love how candid that new believer was. That’s a great question to ask, because there are a lot of gray areas we may encounter as Christians. Here are three questions—three litmus tests, as it were—that we can apply to those so-called gray areas of life. First, does it build you up spiritually? Will it promote growth in Christian character? Or, to put it another way, will it discourage growth in Christian character? Anything that would tear you down spiritually, anything that would tear you away from the people of God or dull your hunger for the Word of God, anything that would keep you from Christian fellowship or take the edge off your desire for prayer or appetite for Bible study, and anything that would make this world more attractive should be avoided at all costs. Second, does it bring you under its power? It could be alcohol. It could be television. It could be music. It could be possessions. It could be something else that is more important to us than God. So many things can bring us under their power. It is freedom to say, “I don’t need that stuff. I don’t want that stuff. I don’t want to do those things.” Third, do you have an uneasy conscience about it? The Bible says, “For whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). Do you have an uneasy conscience about it? Don’t try to rationalize it; just don’t do it. We want to avoid the things that will hurt us spiritually, because not only are there things that will build us up spiritually, but there are also things that will tear us down.

[GhostHawk]

Exactly so RL.

Listen to your heart, listen for the whisper of the Holy Ghost.
Don't give in to anything that drags you down, that encourages you not to listen to the Lord.

[Blackwater]

Wow! I think the church loses many to this simple principle. Most think getting what they want - what their appetites focus them on - is the way to have "fun." It's a shame, but most people today can't really tell you what is fun, and what makes something not fun. Fun, to me, is something that, very much as written above, makes you smile without leaving you with any regrets or guilt in conscience. It's sharing some music and jokes and simple good, edifying conversation with a bunch of friends, or teaching a kid to fish, hunt, shoot or have other types of fun things that have a real application to understanding and playing a part in God's natural wonders. Something that leaves us fascinated and edified. That's LASTING satisfaction, without any regrets or problematic implications, and no bad "aftertaste" when it's over.

So many, many today seem to think that "fun" is something you "get away with." It's not. Never has been. But folks today just don't really think about things much. They mostly just do what they see others doing that makes them smile, and they call that "fun." Even when the aftermath isn't pleasant, like hangovers after a riotous night's "partying."

Christ gave us the most perfect set of instructions and admonitions we could ever possibly have, and Satan has many convinced that following Christ leaves one dull, boring, bored and unhappy. Nothing could be further from the Truth, of course, but many will just never quite "get" that about Christianity. And others are so stiff-necked that they indeed kind'a fit the profane's concepts too closely. To get the full benefit of Christian "fun," one has to be humble and personable and loving. That is REAL "fun," and it'll never leave a bad "aftertaste" when it's over.

What a wonderful and wise and loving Lord we serve! He gives us better advice and instruction than we could ever find on our own! It's just a shame that so many hear Satan's false words, and conclude that Christianity is boring!

[Pine Baron]

Many years ago, my grandfather gave me some sage advice, "Do what's right, don't do what's wrong. You may not know what's right, but you sure as heck know what's wrong.