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All Things Lawful

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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

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