The Devil Loves Good Clean Fun
I don't know about you, but I like to observe people.
I quietly watch and try to figure out what makes a person tick.
Now don't even try to pretend you aren't tempted to look condescendingly at someone when they do something that you and your pious self would never think of doing. We all are.
When that temptation arises, I try to turn that around into something good. I try to use it as a learning experience and ask myself “Am I doing the same thing without realizing it? How can I turn the focus off of judging someone else's character and onto my own need for growing to be more like Christ?”
As I've observed people both in person and on social media talking and/or posting about the movies they watch, the video games they play, or the hobbies in which they participate, I often find myself cringing. I think to myself, “Why?! Oh, please, no! Why as one who claims the name of Christ would you allow that worldliness to infiltrate your thoughts and actions?!”
And once again, although I am grieved about the worldliness I see in the lives of some of my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have to turn the focus to myself. And I've honestly been able to say that by God's grace, I have kept myself from those things. I have not allowed the garbage of worldly movies and music into my mind. I have tried to act in a way that would be pleasing to the Lord.
But as I examined myself, the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart about something of which Christians with the cleanest of testimonies can find themselves guilty. I realized that I am guilty of this very thing.
And the devil loves it.
What is this thing of which I speak? The devil loves our good clean fun.
What?! You don't believe Christians ought to do anything enjoyable? What about “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine”? What about the places in the Bible that tell us that we need to get away and rest sometimes?
Of course I believe Christians can and should have fun. Of course we need to rest and be refreshed sometimes.
But how much fun do we really need? When the lasts bits of sand in the hourglass of time are quickly draining, and a lost world will be doomed to eternal destruction, how much fun do we need to have?
Eternity is upon us! And we are proud of ourselves because we spent our Friday night watching a movie that didn't have any curse words or immodest dress in it. And maybe Monday night was spent playing an innocent board game and eating popcorn while we could have been outside getting to know our unsaved neighbors. On Tuesday afternoon we attended a scrapbooking get-together where the only thing we talked about was…well…scrapbooking. We didn't necessarily edify one another, but we were participating in a good, clean activity! Thursday evening was spent at a barbeque with friends where the men talked about sports and the weather and the ladies showed off the cute shoes they found on clearance. But we didn't say anything displeasing to the Lord, did we, so we think we are in great shape.
We live in a culture where entertainment is readily available. And I believe we have become addicted to it.
When the kids are in bed for the night and we're ready to relax, where do we run? To Facebook, Netflix, ESPN? Pinterest, Xbox, Youtube?
Maybe we're being ultra-careful to make sure the only content coming into our living room is G-rated. But where is our Bible?! We really can't find time to spend getting to know the Lord and memorizing his Word? Our Christian lives are so shallow because the devil has distracted us with good clean fun!
The countdown to eternity is quickly coming to a close.
And all the while, the devil laughs because while we feel like we're being good little Christians, he doesn't even have to try to convince people to believe his lies. They never hear the truth in the first place because we're too busy having fun!
How much time have you wasted enjoying good clean fun? I'm sorry, friend, but if you're neglecting your God-given commands to preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15), to disciple believers (Mt. 28:20), to exhort one another and so much the more as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25), and to occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13) then the only word for your good clean fun is sin.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. James 4:17
Let's open our eyes to the reality of eternity. If the trumpet were to blow and we were to be caught up in the clouds with Christ at this moment, let's not find ourselves ashamed. Let's find ourselves ready and watching.