Skip to main content

All Things Lawful

Image
By

1 Cor 10:23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

Maddie was given an Alvin & the Chipmunks Christmas Cd recently. The old unreformed legalistic me would have promptly thrown it into the trash because it is not Christian, and thus inherently evil. The new reformed non-judgmental me thought it through and decided there was nothing inherently immoral and evil about the CD and allowed it into my home.
After a few weeks of playing it, I found many members including myself were having the songs repeating in our minds when our minds were idle.

Christmas, Christmas time is near
Time for toys and time for cheer
We've been good, but we can't last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
Want a plane that loops the loop
Me, I want a hula hoop
We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don't be late.

We would sing in our minds and out loud. It was something our brains just went to when they were on autopilot. After a few weeks it struck me that even though this CD is lawful for me and my family, it was not profitable. It was occupying our minds with words that had no eternal value and pushing out songs with words that will never die like the words to this Seeds song below:

Be Joyful Always
Pray continuously
Give thanks in all circumstances
Give thanks in all circumstances
For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus
For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.

These words above, when played on the CD player of my mind, edify my soul, instruct my heart and speak truth to my idle mind and the minds of those around me when I am singing it.
Our minds only have the capacity to hold and bring to the surface certain amounts of information at one time.

1 Cor 10:23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

So even if I am a reforming legalist, I still choose to pitch Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD in the trash.

Sorry Alvin.
SORRY ALVIN!!!!!!

AAAALLLLLVVVVVIIIIIIINNNNNNN!!!!




Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 27, 2009 at 5:28 PM

    What did Maddy have to say about that?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJanuary 27, 2009 at 5:35 PM

    I re-read your post and I understand the distinction you made in how you felt about the CD. But doesn't this mean that now you would reflexively throw out everything non-Christian anyway?

    Before you did it because it was not lawful. But now you would do it because it is not profitable. The difference is semantic because either way Alvin ends up in the trash. Is there a place for secular but non-offensive music and programming?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Blessed Beyond BeliefJanuary 27, 2009 at 7:01 PM

    Hi Tom~
    Good question!
    Yes, there is "a place for secular but non-offensive music and programming". We actually have shelves of books, computer software, movies and the like that are moral, but not Christian. But when it comes to catchy little diddies like "You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why....", that play over and over again in the free RAM in my mind I am still choosing to trash Alvin. Songs are unique in that they latch onto your gray matter and you take them with you wherever you go all day long.
    With that said there are other forms of media that I choose to not bring into my home that are not music either, so that is not a definitive statement but I hope it explains things for you. I want you to know that appreciate that even though my beliefs are way different than yours, you do not attack me. Thanks Bro! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Innocence, precious innocence!

By
Kayla pulled me aside in a whispered voice today. " Mommy, Allison said a really bad word". My heart dropped. My stomach churned. I sifted through the list of "really bad words" I knew in my mind. Was it the s one? . The d one? Please don't let it be that really bad other one! As I gained my composure I looked at her and said "Kayla, what really bad word did Allison say?" "Well she couldn't get the dustbuster to turn on, so she said 'come on you dumb buster' " I hid my smile and thanked God for the sweet innocence He has allowed my almost 12 year old to maintain even though the world is trying to bang down the door and steal it away. Thank you Lord for allowing me to savor this moment of innocence. :)
2 comments
Read more

Teaching your child about the S** word~ Part 1

By
Last year a mom approached me and asked me about how we approached the topic of sex with our girls. From that conversation we planned to have a informal moms night where I would teach how we did it in our home and provide an opportunity for moms to share what has worked for them. Last night, a mom mentioned to me that she noticed how open we are about talking to our kids about the topic of sex, love & relationships. She asked me some questions and it got me to thinking about this topic again. What we are doing in our home is STARKLY different from how I was raised and how this subject was broached by my parents as a young person. Many parents find this topic intimidating and awkward to say the least. And because it is so awkward they postpone bringing it up. Moms, I want to challenge you to rethink waiting and ask yourself if now might be the right time to begin to introduce your children to the topic of God's view on sex. I pulled up the file I had written and wanted ...
4 comments
Read more

Shrewd as Serpents and Innocent as Doves

By
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves" ~~Jesus I talk a lot with my children. I talk with them in the car on the way to school. I talk with them, when they pass me in the hall. I talk with them when they come home from a friends house. I talk with them when they are bad & when they do good. When the "Cars" lunchbox we recently got started to show wear and the fabric was fraying & ripping, I gathered them around and I told them that every time someone tries to teach them that we evolved and elements & cells naturally order themselves together & produce good things over a lot of time, I tell them to remember this lunch box. Remember this skirt I bought you 2 years ago. Remember this rotting metal shelving unit at the 99cent store. Does the evidence point to natural ordering and improvement? When the radio program "Focus on the Family" airs a warning to parents to occupy...
3 comments
Read more