Quality of Life and Living Standards
Excellence is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. John W. Gardner
Written by Peter Amsterdam Tuesday, 01 May 2012
When the topic of personal and social values comes up these days, it’s often in the context of what kinds of movies, music, reading material, computer games, and Internet usage are good or acceptable, and which aren’t. Often, this generates quite a bit of disagreement between generations and even between peers. That’s not surprising, because all of these things are highly subjective. Something that has an obvious bad effect on one person may not seem to have a bad effect on someone else.
Some people have the attitude that a lot of violence, gore, or foul language in movies doesn’t have a bad effect on them. They like that kind of movie and don’t think it’s harmful for them personally. But whether they realize it or not, or want to admit it or not, regular intake of things that promote or condone these types of attitudes and behavior does have an effect on their spirit and will eventually come out in their own attitudes and behavior. They would probably be better off if they asked themselves not only, “Is this harmful to me?” but also, “Is this good for me?”
Of course, the smartest thing any of us can do when we aren’t sure whether something is more likely to influence us for better or for worse is to look to God’s Word, the Bible, and to measure the thing in question against the standard we find there. The word used in most English versions of the Bible to describe the kind of good effect I’m talking about here is “edify,” which means “to enlighten; to improve the morals or knowledge of somebody.” The Bible makes it clear that we should pursue things that are edifying and avoid things that aren’t.
It’s impossible in this hi-tech, media-driven age to block out everything that could have a bad effect on you, but if you recognize a particular influence as a danger, you will try to minimize its effect by minimizing your exposure to it. It all comes down to personal conviction—how convinced you are that something is harmful to your spirit and how serious you are about avoiding it.
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DELIVER US, LORD, FROM THE SPIRIT OF "BUSYNESS"!--TOO BUSY FOR YOU & TOO BUSY FOR YOUR WORD!
To learn from the Lord, you have to stop & look & listen, or you'll get run over by all the cares of this life, instead of running over with His Truth, His Love & His Joy! If you drive yourself too hard & too fast, you may never get there! You'll get out of touch with the Lord & our Heavenly Headquarters. Like the little girl said about the kitten, "Oh Mama, the kitty's gone to sleep & left its engine running!"--You may run around but still be asleep spiritually, & you may not be getting anywhere--"as one that beateth the air"! (1Cor.9:26
"You cannot do the Master's WORK without the Master's POWER!"--And to get it, you must spend TIME with the Master! The Lord said but one thing is needful: To sit at His feet & learn of Him. Those who have chosen this good part, it shall never be taken away from them! (Lk.10:42) So if you're too busy to pray, you're too busy! If you're too busy to get alone with God & pray, you're too busy!
So "take time to be holy"!--Wholly His! He says, "Be still, & know that I am God. In quietness & in confidence shall your strength be!" (Psa.46:10; Isa.30:15)
Activated TFI [Video Posted - Interview with Jim Caviezel - The Passion of the Christ]