These are some of my books. How many of these do you think that Jesus would like to read? How many of these would make Him pleased with me? There are a few books that are devotionals or general Christian living, but for the most part these are worldly books with worldly themes/ideas. Some have themes revolving around drug content, infidelity, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
These are our movies and CD's. My husband works at Best Buy so we have pretty much every movie you can think of. They are all filled with things that you and I both know aren't Bible stories. They all cover the same themes as my book collection above.
This is our 51" plasma 3D HD WIFI ready TV that cooks us mac and cheese. It doesn't cook mac n cheese, but it does pretty much everything else you could imagine. We got this for a steal - it's a $2,400 TV, one of the best TV's you can buy, and we got it for $800 on close out. We couldn't get over how great of a deal it was and neither could our friends.
Which of these things would Jesus be proud of? Which of these things should I be proud of in front of Jesus? Or anyone for that matter?
None.
None of these things would make Him proud and none of these things should make me proud.
As a matter of fact, none of these things should still be in my home.
When I made the decision to commit my life to Jesus Christ and His will, I did so, or at least should have done so, wholeheartedly. That means that anything that is opposed to His will for my life, should be out. I shouldn't continue to live in the way that I have.
God has expectations for our life. He expects that we obey His commands, He expects that we live for Him. He does not expect us to live for Him occasionally, when it's convenient, when it's Sunday morning or Wednesday night. He doesn't expect to see us on Easter and then maybe Christmas. He doesn't expect us to be Christians on Sundays and pagans on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
I looked up pagan before I put it here to make sure I was using it correctly. It is one of those terms that is frequently thrown around in church, so everyone assumes they know what it means, but it's always nice to know for sure. Dictionary.com says a pagan is "one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans or Greeks. synonyms: polytheist."
Those of us that live like this, half-heartedly, are basically pagans. We serve a few gods: the one True God, money, the world and ourselves.
I don't mean for this to be harsh, but rather to be a call. A call to everyone to reflect on your daily life, reflect on things in your home, things on your shelves, things in your mind maybe, and see what would or wouldn't make God proud. These things are in my home and they are deteriorating my relationship with God. Where do you stand with God?
Can you imagine the money and the time I have invested in the things above? I have spent countless hours on the couch sitting mindlessly watching garbage on the TV rather than reading the Truth or praying or reaching out to others to share His Word. As far as the money side of it goes, the TV alone - $800. People around the world don't make that in a year and I have an $800 TV sitting on the wall in my living room. Yet I put $2 in the collection plate at church this past Sunday and was rather content with myself. Priorities people. It's all about priorities.
Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, perfect will.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Ezekiel 1:31-32 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live.
