Ever been caught off guard at the movie theater because you found yourself watching a flick in which you knew nothing about?? ... and only to find yourself in the awkward position of wondering if you should get up and leave or sit through it, hoping it will somehow get less crass, smutty, and inappropriate?? This scenario can easily be avoided!! Know what you are going to watch ahead of time. It is just one more simple way in which we, as followers of Christ, can honor Him.
In spite of the belief that movies don't effect us, we see that Scripture says otherwise. What we watch can and does impact us, and we must be sensitive to avoid being entertained by what is repulsive to a righteous, holy God. The Psalmist said, "I will set nothing wicked before my eyes" (Psalm 101:3). In 2 Peter 2, we see that Lot was greatly effected by the surrounding influences. "... for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day be seeing and hearing their lawless deeds" (2 Peter 2:8). Does what we watch pull our thoughts away from Him? Are we compromising what we hold valuable as believers or being influenced by sex, violence, or overly romanticized relationships that are based on feelings rather than God's principles? Are there better decisions we can make when it comes to the movies we enjoy? Are you justifying what you watch and severing your conscience? James says, "... to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). These are some challenging questions for all of us to think about!!It can be difficult to find balance in life and entertainment for sure. But let's be men and women who love Jesus SO much that our lives are actually changed by Him. Let's be singles who live for Him, and who desire to make decisions based around what God would have us do. If we are truly seeking Him and desiring to put Him first in our lives, we can live a healthy, balanced Christian life. In the areas of movies specifically, I've found a great tool that you can resource before you drop $10 at Cinemark to watch a blockbuster full of compromise. Check out Plugged In Online.
We need to keep seeking Him by allowing the Spirit to guide every area of our lives, including the movies we watch!
~AF
2 comments:
I appreciate your asking if we are being influenced by sex, violence, and overly romanticized relationships. It took me a long time to realize that watching movies that overly romanticized relationships was detrimental to my self. In that, I had unrealistic expectations, not only of men, but of the man that God might have for me. It took a long time for that false image to get out of my head & heart. Thanks for your thoughts & wisdom.
Thanks for the feedback, Meghan. This is certainly a difficult topic for sure!! It's great that you see that... I think "chick flicks" can actually be some of the most influential movies out there. We definitely have to be careful where we are getting our ideas on dating/marriage from. And it's true that the world really values completely different qualities than we, as believers, should.
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