Entertaining Choices

It is very easy for us to devote our lives, an hour or two at a time, to being entertained.  Movies, games, sports, television programs, hobbies, eating out, vacations--none of these things are necessarily wrong in moderation. But when we let being entertained become the focus and the goal of our lives, we neglect our mission: to make and mature Disciples of Christ to the glory of God.

 

When our lives become all about entertainment, we forget our goal, our destination. A wealth of entertainment options can be used as a friendly attack by Satan. We are not openly persecuted much in the United States, but we are seduced into forgetting the great commission of Christ: to go out and make true disciples.

In Deuteronomy, God (through Moses) warned the children of Israel that their coming prosperity might be spiritually dangerous:

6:10-12) When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large flourishing cities you did not build, 11) houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12) be careful that you do not forget the LORD,  who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

In the United States, we enjoy a lot of prosperity as a nation. We need to heed the same warning. As our wants and desires are satisfied, we need to be careful not to forget the LORD, who brought us believers out of spiritual slavery. I’ve heard it said that if you look at your calendar and checkbook, you will see what matters most to you. Jesus taught that we should think twice about where we store our treasure:

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20) But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt. 6:19-21

Jesus reminds us that this life is brief and inevitably crumbles, but eternal rewards last forever. I sometimes imagine that I am throwing my heart ahead of me, into heaven where Jesus is.

 Colossians 3 repeatedly encourages us to set our minds on eternal things, saying:

 “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2) Set you mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2

That’s a great one to memorize or to write on a sticky note. There are so many shiny things competing for our attention, and so many voices trying to drown out the voice of our Shepherd, we need to be intentional about keeping our focus.

Hebrews 12:1-2 exhorts us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, where it says:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.”

The writer reminds us that Jesus lived against the tide, even dying a criminal’s death, for the sake of the eternal joy the Father set before him. He had to have his eyes on eternity (and not this world’s value system) to do that.

These Scriptures all point to an eternal perspective, and that’s what I am trying to emphasize in the book, “Milestones: On the Road Home.” We have a short time here on earth to invest in eternity. So I encourage asking ourselves questions as we map out our days: What will I contribute to the eternal Kingdom of Christ today? Will these activities build anybody up? Will I invite anyone into relationship (or closer relationship) with Jesus? Will my activities today please and glorify God?

To offer a very practical idea, I use and recommend sticky notes where people will be reminded every day (on the mirror, by the coffee maker, on a computer screen, or on the next page of the calendar) with a question like: How will I serve today?

There is a time for rest and refreshment, of course, and that is fine and even biblical (Luke 5:16 often; Luke 6:31 rest). But the thrust of our lives is to offer our very lives to God:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1.

Worship

Last weekend I spent several hours at a large Christian event, NightVision, with world class Christian artists, musicians and speakers present. There were nearly 20,000 in attendance on Saturday alone. In our rural area, over 5 hours from the nearest significant metro area, this is kind of a big deal. Because I am reflective by nature, and maybe because I am growing older, I came away with mixed impressions. I am sharing some of them here. They are not gospel, just one man's impressions.

First, what a gift! That someone, that some people, have listened to God's call to put this thing on, in the middle-of-nowhere Colorado, is beyond great. Thank you thank you thank you to God, to Victoria Hearst, to all the dedicated board members, volunteers and community members who cooperate (a miracle in itself) to make this thing happen year after year!

Other positive impressions, the happy faces of so many. lifted in bliss, forgetting themselves in Praise of Jesus. Young and old, people of all races, socio-economic, educational and genders united, differences insignificant for a while. A slice, perhaps, of what heaven might be like, I imagine. The artists (I have decided not to get into parsing out favorites or reviewing performances) who impressed me were those who talked less about the (title of their group) and more about the name of Jesus. Very telling, I think. And the glory went where the glory was assigned, in both cases.

When the speakers were sharing their hearts, it was remarkable to me and somewhat disappointing, that the much of the crowd acted as if the platform was a movie screen or a television that could simply be ignored without consequence to anyone's feelings. Agree or disagree with the message, these are real people who came at expense and difficulty to present something from the heart for you to consider. Have your conversations at home or in the car. Control yourselves. Listen. But we are not good at listening when we are not being entertained. And that is a concern that I came away with. Even here in rural Colorado, I fear that what I saw is this: We have confused worship with being entertained. We have disdained being equipped for service.

On the way back to the parking lot, we witnessed people dragging their toddlers with harsh indifference, cussing, honking at one another with impatience, and generally demonstrating lack of spiritual and emotional maturity. As a counselor and a prodigal son, I know more than most, that the church is made of people at various stages of growth. I realize that Jesus wants everyone to hear the good news, especially those who need it most. My concern is this, especially for those of us who have been around a while, are we going to such places, including church, with selfish intentions of being entertained and somehow confusing this with worship?

Scripture defines worship as a lifestyle. The lifestyle of worship is characterized by self sacrificial love. This means service. That means we will need to be equipped for service, so we will need to be taught some things. We will have to (excuse the bluntness) shut up and listen from time to time. What passes for worship does not please the Lord if it is anything less.

This post is not meant to rain on anyone's parade. Rather, it is meant to call some of us out of a state of double-mindedness. We cannot have it both ways. We cannot worship Him and our selfish natures at the same time. He will have none of that. He is Lord of all, or He is Lord of nothing at all. Let's make Him Lord of All. Let's worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Let's present our bodies as living sacrifices, for this is our reasonable and spiritual act of worship!


"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." Romans 12:1