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He wants to be our greatest delight. He wants greater Christ-likeness and abundant lives for His children. He wants to lead and guide us with His still, small voice. Are you listening? My prayer is that the Lord would use these simple questions to shape your mind and heart to love Him more in all you do. This article is also available in Spanish. I serve with Unlocking the Bible. I blog for the glory of God, to nourish the church, and to clarify my mind.
Read More…. FTC Disclosure of Material Connection: I sometimes share affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through a link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you to cover blogging expenses. Does your entertainment choices add anything of value to your life? What desires do my entertainment choices cultivate in my heart? How does this reflect the sinfulness of humanity? How does this reflect our need for a Savior who changes hearts?
How might this deepen our longing for the restoration, peace, and fullness of life we will enjoy for all of eternity? Do you complain about wickedness in entertainment more than you pray for the people who make it? Does my entertainment consumption help me redeem the time in these evil days Ephesians ?
Do I want my entertainment habits to be imitated by my children or those I lead? What does this entertainment glorify? Does TV amplify my gossip? What are you more willing to compromise: your Christian beliefs or your entertainment choices?
I believe this is the proper and safe way to proceed. And I want to share my findings with you at the outset. The word entertainment is not found in the Bible at all. Once we read "entertain," in the sense of hospitality, but never the word entertainment. The word fun is never used in the Bible. The word games is never to be found. The word play is used a number of times: playing on musical instruments, playing the harlot, Israel sitting down to eat and drink and rising up to play a reference to their naked dancing and worse , the boys and girls of Israel playing in the streets of Jerusalem after the return from captivity.
The words vacation, retirement, and sports are not found in God's Word. We may notice that there are words often used in the Bible that are practically the antonyms of the words we have just mentioned.
We are admonished to work with our hands: "six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. The words sober, sobriety, and being sober minded are often to be found. Watch and be sober. Let us who are of the day be sober.
Officebearers are to be vigilant and sober. Aged men and young women are called to be sober. The words mourning, weeping. Yes, Scripture also speaks of rejoicing. The child of God is to rejoice always. We are to rejoice in the Lord! And finally I thought it would be profitable to check out the words glorying and boasting. When we get into the area of games and organized sports, boasting, bragging, and glorying are very much at point.
Well, God tells us to glory in nothing, save the cross of Jesus Christ. God tells us that the wise man is not to glory in his wisdom neither the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his riches, "but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me" Jer. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. The Lord does not take delight in the legs of a man, in physical strength and skills. But the Lord delighteth in lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness.
All other glory is vainglory. Now, what does all this mean? What conclusions can we draw from the fact that such words as sports, vacations, playing, and retirement are not found in the Bible? It would be wrong, of course, to conclude that this means we may not be involved in such things at all.
You could just as well say, Because the Bible does not mention pizza, we may not eat pizza. But this brief word study sends us in the right direction. It gives us the proper emphasis. And it shows us that the Christian life must always be a life of balance and moderation.
We recognize that many things have changed since biblical days; in fact, life has greatly changed in the last one hundred years. Our society has gone from a rural, agricultural economy to a suburban, industrial one. The result of these many changes is that we have more disposable income income that is not necessary for the basic needs on life and more discretionary time time not spent on the job but used in other ways.
But we must also recognize that some things have not, and must not, change since biblical days. There are truths and principles that must still guide us in these last days. Is there a place for entertainment in the Reformed Christian's life? If not, why not? If so, what is that place, and how large is that place? We believe that there is a legitimate place for entertainment in the life of the child of God.
The Christian may relax, go on a vacation from time to time, have some fun, and enjoy the good gifts that God has bestowed upon him and his family. Paul writes to Timothy, "Every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer" 1 Tim.
That passage is important for the understanding of our subject, for it warns against legalism and a too strict view of the Christian life, and it tells us that we can use all things that God has made, keeping two things in mind: first, the Word of God instructs us how to use God's creatures and gifts, and secondly, by prayer in respect to this use, His gifts are sanctified unto us. Then we use this world, and not abuse it. Another passage that comes to mind in respect to our use of God's gifts is 1 Corinthians "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Entertainment may not be divorced from our calling as Christians to serve and glorify God at all times. Entertainment may not, and cannot, stand on its own feet as something good in itself. It is only a means, a means to a higher end and purpose.
Recreation and exercise as a means unto better health? Vacations and sports as a means of relaxation in order to serve God the better? But as soon as entertainment goes beyond that, as soon as it becomes an end in itself, as soon as our sports and our hobbies consume us, then we abuse God's good gifts and our lives are not lives of balance and moderation but rather of excess and imbalance.
All the emphasis in our society is on having a good time. Everyone has to have fun in some way every day. Forgotten is the truth that God has put man on earth to work. Man works as little as possible in order that he may play. He does not play a little, the better to work. Life is viewed as a playground rather than a workplace or a battlefield.
And this holds true today, not only for little children but for the adults as well. Paul writes in II Timothy 3, "Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters," and so on.
And, "They shall be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. The unbeliever is a hater of God and a lover of pleasure! And as that love of pleasure develops into pleasure-madness all around us, that constitutes a peril for the church. These are perilous times for you and for me, and for our children.
We stand in the midst of peril! Our society, wealthy beyond compare, with free time almost beyond belief, is thoroughly hedonistic. A lover of pleasure is a hedonist. Hedonism is the moral philosophy that pleasure and happiness are the chief goal of human life. That is the religion according to which most people live to today.
The rightness or wrongness of some activity is determined by whether it results in pleasure or in pain. If you get pleasure from something, do it; it's a good thing. If it causes you pain or discomfort, avoid it like the plague; it's bad or evil.
Do you see the peril of being surrounded by people of that philosophy and outlook? Of living in the midst of such a perverse generation? I will leave it to you to discover how much of that thinking controls you in your world and life view. What are the dangers for us and our children'? There are five areas of great concern.
The matter of movies and television springs immediately to mind. That movie attendance and television viewing are out of bounds for the Christian, are incompatible with the godly walk of those who are called to be saints, is clear beyond any dispute. Is it not true that movies and television exalt that which is base and depraved, and debase that which is exalted and good?
Is it not true that watching the entertainment of the world, its sexual presentations, its violence and bloodshed, its blasphemies against the holy God, makes a person guilty of the sin described in Romans , "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them"?
Psalm , which I encourage you to read right now, is a psalm of David, the man after God's own heart. He says, "I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. Secondly, we mention the sports craze, not only the March Madness of basketball tournaments, but the year-round sports activities of the world, the proliferation of professional sports teams.
I am afraid that sports have a strangle-grip on many of us. I read in the Grand Rapids Press a few weeks ago a quote from a baseball fan: "opening day is a holy day for us who worship in baseball parks. Their churches, well attended on the Sabbath, are the stadiums, arenas, and ball parks of the land. On the other hand, our Christian liberties should always be guided by biblical wisdom. God gives us liberty so we can decide how best to use our lives for His glory without being coerced by the doctrines and commandments of men.
Thus we should always ask ourselves whether our entertainment is wise. People who are enslaved by their entertainment have an inordinate desire for it. They love their entertainment more than God. But how do you know whether you love your entertainment more than God? The seventh commandment requires you to be a faithful spouse. Does your entertainment lead you to neglect your duties to love, serve, and honor your spouse? The fifth commandment requires you to be a faithful parent.
Does your entertainment lead you to neglect your duties to train up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord? Is your entertainment leading you to neglect your work or serving your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are you using your time as God has commanded you? Ephesians warns us to use our time wisely. In light of our biblical duties to others, it seems wise to prioritize forms of entertainment that can be done with people who are already part of our lives.
Enjoying entertainment with family or brothers and sisters who go to our church would be a good thing. And are you neglecting the thought of God?
Are you faithfully spending time in His Word and in prayer or are you neglecting communion with Him for the sake of entertainment? Are you looking to entertainment to satisfy your soul and give you rest that only God Himself can give you?
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