|
Day 1
The Full Tilt Media Challenge
By Al Menconi
I've
been struggling with my weight all my
life. I’ve never
been fat, but I’ve never been thin,
either. I was always told I was "stocky." My
dad was stocky and people said I looked
like my dad. I hated hearing that, because
I knew he was fat - even if you did call
him stocky.
As I grew from a stocky child to a
stocky adult, I tried every possible
diet. If I heard about it, I tried it.
Each one helped me drop a few pounds,
until I tried to sneak in a chocolate
chip cookie. One led to two, then three.
I’m so weak when it comes to sweets.
In my guilt, I hastily checked the scale.
I was surprised to find I hadn't gained
any weight from those three cookies.
Since I didn't see an immediate response,
I told myself eating cookies didn't affect
me.
Little by little, I told myself I could
go from a waist of 32”, to 33”,
to 34”, to a tight 34”, but
I wasn't going to let myself get to 36”!
I would do something before I needed
bigger "fat pants."
I finally realized quick diets don't
work for me. I couldn't just drop a few
pounds and go back to my old eating habits.
I had to change my core attitudes about
food. Once I did that, I began to lose
weight and keep it off. Not only did
I feel better; but for the first time
in years I was able to wear sizes I hadn't
fit into since college!
What does this have to do with the
entertainment media? Christians need
to see entertainment in the same way
I see fattening foods. One compromise
leads to another and another and another. Colossians
2:8 commands us not to "let
others spoil our faith and joy with their
philosophies, wrong shallow answers based
on men's thoughts and ideas rather than
what Christ has taught." God's Word
tells us that if we continue to "feed" ourselves
with the empty philosophies of this world,
we will struggle with our faith and joy.
The most prominent source of empty
philosophies in our homes is the entertainment
media. Christians don't usually watch
the "gross" stuff, but an R-rated
movie every so often doesn't seem to
affect us. Pretty soon it's two, then
three. We don't see any immediate response
in our Christian walk, so it couldn't
be so bad, right? If one movie didn't
affect us, a second one won't hurt either.
After awhile, trashy television programs
no longer offend; neither do immoral
video games or perverted music! Little
by little our Christian walk starts to
falter and we don't know why.
We "widen the standards" of
our entertainment acceptability, like
I used to widen the standards for my
waist by getting a larger pair of pants.
After continuing to adjust our standards,
God's presence seems like a distant memory
- like my 32" waist! But why settle
for "fat pants," when God wants
you at your ideal spiritual weight? Don't
widen your entertainment acceptability;
change your entertainment lifestyle.
This devotional is part of a thirty
day media challenge. It asks you to eliminate
all music, television, videos, and motion
pictures that are against biblical values
and focus only on Christian music. When
you do, I believe you will have a clearer
understanding of what kind of entertainment
is actually healthy for your spiritual
life.
Reflection: How
much time does entertainment media
take up during the day? How many kinds
of entertainment fill your week? Have
you ever thought of yourself as “fat” with
media? Do you feel like it affects
you? Which type has you doing the most “widening
the standards”?
Response: Do a mental
review of all the types of media that
occupy your week (TV, radio, computer,
etc.) How many hours per day do you think
you spend with each one? Use the space
below to add up the time you actually
spend on media each day. Add up the total
for the week. Make a list of activities
you could be doing, now that you won’t
be spending this time on entertainment.
Verse of the Day: Colossians 2:8
"Don't let others spoil your
faith and joy with their philosophies,
their wrong and shallow answers built
on men's thoughts and ideas instead
of on what Christ has said." (Living
Bible)
Think about it. What is today’s
entertainment but some man’s or
woman's philosophy – their thoughts
and ideas. If you write them down and
add a tune to it, we call it music. If
we put them in a script and film it,
we call it a movie or a television program.
When we digitize them and put them in
a little box, we call them a video game.
Be careful! This verse warns us that
if we continue to entertain ourselves
with the world's thoughts and ideas that
are against biblical values,
it will eventually undermine our faith
and joy in Jesus. It doesn't say you
are guaranteed to become a pervert, a
murderer, or a Satanist. It simply says,
you will undermine your faith in Jesus
Christ and the joy of your salvation.
How is your faith? Do you ever think
you've lost your salvation? Do you wonder
if there is a God? Are you going to heaven
when you die? Is there a heaven? Is Jesus
Christ God? If the answers to these questions
aren't clear to you, it could be that
you are struggling with your faith.
How about your joy? Do you exhibit
love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness,
meekness, etc. – the Fruit of the
Spirit – in your life? Does Christianity
seem to be a “set of rules” that
cramp your fun? If your faith and joy
aren't everything you want them to be,
examine the philosophies in your entertainment.
If they present a view of life that is
against biblical values, don't be surprised
to find yourself struggling in your spiritual
walk.
[Home]
[Previous]
[Table of Articles]
[Next]
[About FTMC]
[Contact Us]
|
