By: Chris V A few months ago, I was at a teen community group at my church to hear what the Bible has to say on what my youth pastor calls a "hot topic" (issues that are prevalent in today's culture). That specific night, we were going over a huge topic in today's society: media. When we broke into different groups to talk about some discussion questions that the youth pastor had come up with, we started to talk about different kinds of media, more specifically, music. After going over several questions and talking about different kinds of music, some of the girls there started to ask the question: "Does God really care about what kinds of music that I listen to?" The Short Answer: Yes Yes, God does care about the music we listen to! In the Bible, we see several verses that command us not only to worship and sing to Him, but to keep our minds on pure things and Christ:
These are just a few verses, but they all lead up to a point! If you are a Christian, saved by and through Christ, you want to keep your mind focused on Christ and on things of Christ (Colossians 3:2). How can we do that when we're listening to music that's not God honoring? The answer is that you can't. If we're listening to explicit music, that language (which the Bible commands against, see Ephesians 4:29) gets stuck in our heads. If we're listening to trashy, sexually immoral music (which the Bible tells us to flee from, see 1 Corinthians 6:18), we'll find our minds wandering places where we don't want them to go. But, if we're listening to music that worships and praises Christ, our mind will be set and focused on Jesus, bringing us more towards Christ-likeness. (Added bonus: you'll be more likely to praise and worship God in your heart as well!) How Can I Apply This To My Daily Life? This is the part that kind of hurts, but we need to rip off that band-aid! If you are routinely listening to worldly, trashy, explicit music (and podcasts for that matter!), GET RID OF IT!!! From the verses seen above, worldly things like trashy, explicit songs hinder your walk with Christ. But, I'm not saying to never listen to music again! I'm saying to listen to the right kinds of music, music that is "...true...honorable...just...pure...lovely...commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise..." (Philippians 4:8). One type of music like this is Christian/worship music! Some great artists to check out are Cade Thompson, Keith and Kristen Getty, TobyMac, Leanna Crawford, Matthew West, and Michael W. Smith. Not only should we be listening to God honoring music, we should also apply the same, God-honoring concepts to the podcasts we listen to. Some amazing Christian podcasts that I love to listen to are:
When we consciously make decisions to listen to media that is God-honoring every single day, we can spiritually grow in Christ through Him! Delete those trashy playlists, unfollow those explicit artists (no matter how popular they are!)- and you may find your mind focused more on Jesus than on the fading things of this world. I'd love to hear from you! What are some ways you can put God-honoring media into your life? Let me know in the comments below!
0 Comments
By: Chris V Freedom. You hear that word used for tons of different things: freedom of a country, sexual freedom, freedom from slavery, etc. According to Dictionary.com, freedom is "The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint". The second definition of freedom on Dictionary.com is "exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.". The definition of freedom I want to hone in on right now is the second one; this definition strikes me as rebellion instead of freedom. Let me ask you this: is lack of regulation and external control truly freedom? When you rebel against your parents, are you usually granted more privileges or are privileges taken away? If the world's definition of freedom isn't really freedom, then what is true freedom? To answer that, we need to take a look at what the Bible says. Jesus, the Son of God In the book of John, we read about Jesus (the Son of God, as seen in John 1:1, 3:16): the start of His ministry, His death on the Cross, and His resurrection on the third day after His death. What does this have to do with freedom? Here are a few verses give you an idea:
As seen in the verses mentioned above, Jesus came to this earth to be our Savior from sin and death. And that wasn't easy! Throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus was persecuted by all kinds of people (and believers are still persecuted for choosing to follow Jesus today!). Even though it was hard and tough, Jesus succedeed in His mission- the reason He came to earth- through His death on the cross and resurrection on the third day. What does this mean, and what does it have to do with freedom? His Death Gave Us Life When Jesus died on the cross, He took on all of God's wrath and judgement that was meant for us because of our sins, conquering and breaking the bondage of sin (Romans 5:18-21). He set us free from sin! Not only that, but He also conquered death when He rose again from the dead on the third day after He died (Hebrews 2:14). Not only did Jesus prove He has power over all, He set us free from the bondage of sin and death when He died and rose again! This is true freedom. When we accept God's free gift of salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), we become free from sin and are now free in Christ to serve and glorify Him. In other words, Jesus is our Savior, and the true freedom we've been trying to find in things of this world. It can only come from Him; true freedom is found through salvation in Him alone! Can I get an amen? "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed"- John 8:36.I'd love to hear from you! Have you been set free in Christ? What has changed in your life because of that? (If you aren't sure about trusting Jesus yet, that's okay! If you have questions, talk to a mature Christian like your parents, a youth leader, or a pastor. I'm sure they would love to help you!) Tell me in the comments below!
|
AuthorsChris V Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
|