Malnutrition......In A Land Of Plenty...Part 2
So...Whats In Your Pantry ?
It might be that you have already performed this exercise, however once is not enough for what we are doing here. This must be something you eventually do continually. You will, in time, progress to a point where this exercise will progress to a 'preventative maintenance' type of work, instead of a 'spring cleaning'.
Okay, let's all do this together. In keeping with the theme of this series, let's open our pantrys for inspection. No, I won't be looking, just you...& Him. Just so we all are on the same page, the PANTRY I am referring to is the variety of places you frequent (home [library, T.V. room, etc.], work, recreational areas, church,...etc.) in which you are fed mentally/spiritually. This should include (for example) what you READ, what you VIEW, what (& who) you LISTEN to.
At this point, some of you have already felt that old familiar rebellion rising up within you (yes, that is rebellion), that brings forth from your lips your favorite battle cry (text), "Judge not lest you be judged.."! If that isn't the first cry, it will only be because you have first sounded off about 'legalism'. But, that's alright, stay with us here and see that this is applicable to you just as it is to all of us.
I could make this long and draw it out to be a long post, but I will not. I will get directly to the point.
How many of you would be appalled if you answered the knock at your door, and found a few people who said, "Hi, I hope you don't mind if we come in. We would like to curse and swear, make blatant inuendos of a sexual nature, show you some graphic violence and murders via this slide show. Don't worry, we brought our own projector. Now, for a little mood music, could you play some Eminem, Beastie Boys, Spice Girls, Korn, AC/DC, Prince...or basically anything that glorifies illicit sex, violence and death, you know, anything opposite of what God would approve of you consuming. Oh, c'mon, even if YOU don't have anything like that in the house, we know your children do. Speaking of them, have you seen the commercials for the sadistic (rated T for Team, M for mature, and WORSE) games for their PlayStation or whatever that is that YOU bought them for Christmas, and then allowed it to be in their room w/their own TV?! WELL....it's been nice entertaining you for the evening...now, pay up! You surely didn't think this kind of entertainment would be free, did you?"
Just the thought of someone barging in your home with this filth and degradation is appalling to consider, isn't it? We might react, saying, "I wouldn't stand for that in my house, I would throw them out.
NO, YOU WON'T.....instead, YOU call THEM up and INVITE them out, and PAY them to come into your home. Is it local cable you have, or is it satellite, transmitting all of this "junk food" into your home.
No, I am not saying that the TV is Satan in a box. The TV is neither righteous nor evil. It is you & I...humans. WE are the ones who choose the sexually suggestive programs we watch, the vanity promoting magazines we read, the suggestive (violence, sex, rebellion) lyrics we listen to, and repeatedly pound into our heads.
Have you caught yourself laughing at the sexual inuendos (all outside of Gods intentions for sex) of your favorite sit-com, de-sensitized to the multitudes of brutal crimes (Assault, rape, murder, etc.) that we watch on the hour-long dramas, OR, the complete assault on your mind with the pooling together of these with the Names of our Saviour and God being continuously & flippantly taken in vain, in the Movies we watch?
Philippians 4:8-9....."(8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things (are) honest, whatsoever things (are) just, whatsoever things (are) pure, whatsoever things (are) lovely, whatsoever things (are) of good report, if (there be) any virtue, and if (there be) any praise, think on these things. (9) These things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
One must be very selective in their consumption of the various media outlets of this world, if they intend on keeping their mind on the things we are urged to keep them on in Philippians. Personal Holiness is not a real popular thing today....but, it should be. It amazes me how Christians today lament the fact that they are worried (finances, children, job, etc.) so much, and seem to have 'no peace of mind'. As the aforementioned scripture stated, "...the God of peace shall be with you."...WHEN you put your mind on the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtuous, & praiseworthy...THEN the God of peace WILL be with you, and 'peace of mind' will be yours.
We all know what GIGO stands for, right? Yeah, that's right, garbage in.....garbage out. That's right, what we feed on (whether physically, or spiritually/mentally)WILL make up who we are. THEN, what is inside us, will come from us in our actions.
NEXT.....Pt.3, Manna From Heaven!
Feeding On The Word,
The DOGpreacher
It might be that you have already performed this exercise, however once is not enough for what we are doing here. This must be something you eventually do continually. You will, in time, progress to a point where this exercise will progress to a 'preventative maintenance' type of work, instead of a 'spring cleaning'.
Okay, let's all do this together. In keeping with the theme of this series, let's open our pantrys for inspection. No, I won't be looking, just you...& Him. Just so we all are on the same page, the PANTRY I am referring to is the variety of places you frequent (home [library, T.V. room, etc.], work, recreational areas, church,...etc.) in which you are fed mentally/spiritually. This should include (for example) what you READ, what you VIEW, what (& who) you LISTEN to.
At this point, some of you have already felt that old familiar rebellion rising up within you (yes, that is rebellion), that brings forth from your lips your favorite battle cry (text), "Judge not lest you be judged.."! If that isn't the first cry, it will only be because you have first sounded off about 'legalism'. But, that's alright, stay with us here and see that this is applicable to you just as it is to all of us.
I could make this long and draw it out to be a long post, but I will not. I will get directly to the point.
How many of you would be appalled if you answered the knock at your door, and found a few people who said, "Hi, I hope you don't mind if we come in. We would like to curse and swear, make blatant inuendos of a sexual nature, show you some graphic violence and murders via this slide show. Don't worry, we brought our own projector. Now, for a little mood music, could you play some Eminem, Beastie Boys, Spice Girls, Korn, AC/DC, Prince...or basically anything that glorifies illicit sex, violence and death, you know, anything opposite of what God would approve of you consuming. Oh, c'mon, even if YOU don't have anything like that in the house, we know your children do. Speaking of them, have you seen the commercials for the sadistic (rated T for Team, M for mature, and WORSE) games for their PlayStation or whatever that is that YOU bought them for Christmas, and then allowed it to be in their room w/their own TV?! WELL....it's been nice entertaining you for the evening...now, pay up! You surely didn't think this kind of entertainment would be free, did you?"
Just the thought of someone barging in your home with this filth and degradation is appalling to consider, isn't it? We might react, saying, "I wouldn't stand for that in my house, I would throw them out.
NO, YOU WON'T.....instead, YOU call THEM up and INVITE them out, and PAY them to come into your home. Is it local cable you have, or is it satellite, transmitting all of this "junk food" into your home.
No, I am not saying that the TV is Satan in a box. The TV is neither righteous nor evil. It is you & I...humans. WE are the ones who choose the sexually suggestive programs we watch, the vanity promoting magazines we read, the suggestive (violence, sex, rebellion) lyrics we listen to, and repeatedly pound into our heads.
Have you caught yourself laughing at the sexual inuendos (all outside of Gods intentions for sex) of your favorite sit-com, de-sensitized to the multitudes of brutal crimes (Assault, rape, murder, etc.) that we watch on the hour-long dramas, OR, the complete assault on your mind with the pooling together of these with the Names of our Saviour and God being continuously & flippantly taken in vain, in the Movies we watch?
Philippians 4:8-9....."(8) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things (are) honest, whatsoever things (are) just, whatsoever things (are) pure, whatsoever things (are) lovely, whatsoever things (are) of good report, if (there be) any virtue, and if (there be) any praise, think on these things. (9) These things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
One must be very selective in their consumption of the various media outlets of this world, if they intend on keeping their mind on the things we are urged to keep them on in Philippians. Personal Holiness is not a real popular thing today....but, it should be. It amazes me how Christians today lament the fact that they are worried (finances, children, job, etc.) so much, and seem to have 'no peace of mind'. As the aforementioned scripture stated, "...the God of peace shall be with you."...WHEN you put your mind on the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtuous, & praiseworthy...THEN the God of peace WILL be with you, and 'peace of mind' will be yours.
We all know what GIGO stands for, right? Yeah, that's right, garbage in.....garbage out. That's right, what we feed on (whether physically, or spiritually/mentally)WILL make up who we are. THEN, what is inside us, will come from us in our actions.
NEXT.....Pt.3, Manna From Heaven!
Feeding On The Word,
The DOGpreacher
posted by dogpreacher | 1:42 PM
5 Comments:
True.
Very true. I was thinking about this lately. I want to be a man who studies the bible and spends most of my time praying. Thanks for this.
The LORD moved us to a remote place (we are talking 45 minutes to the closest town and no TV FREE reception) with Hubby's job back in 1999 and it was the very best thing to happen to us in a very long time!! Got us broke from the TV habit. We spend all the free time we can find now in study of the WORD, researching different subjects, reading helpful books, internet stuff...my thing is blogs...been hunting for a long time for those of like mind in the faith. Seems you have several on here...but they either don't have a blog or no open access to it. Hubby would enjoy some dialog this way too. He is on Paltalk some, but there are so many there it is not easy to converse really. Blessings on you for being so forthright and open, even if it is not the usual "party line"!!
THANKS so very much to Shawn for the link on his blog to this fabulous sermon on suffering! I have already sent it on to a bunch of folks who so need to hear it as much as we do!!
Blessings...
Greg: I have to confess. I have the cable. Don't watch much though. When it is on, it's on Fox News. Only music I listen to is Bebo Norman, Mercy Me, and other Christian artists. (It was so funny about a year ago. My then, 8 year old granddaughter said, I know you are going to heaven when you die, Mimi." I laughed and said, "you do? how do you know that?" "Cuz all you listen to is Christian music." Then later she says, "Mimi, how come all you listen to is Christian music?" I said, "Because what we put in is what comes out. And when I put Jesus in, then Jesus comes out." She smiled and said, "I love you, Mimi."
Well, there ya have it. Got my pantry cleaned out. Oh, I do watch Football, Tennis, Baseball and occasionally sleep during Nascar races. HATE those commercials though. Good thing I'm an abstentionist or they might have me drinking all the time.
Thanks for coming by my site. SelahV
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