A sermon I heard given at a youth camp in my late 20s still resonates with me today.
I remember thinking if 18-year-old Emily heard this sermon would the words have soaked in and permeated her life?
In your life, is Jesus on Display or Hidden away?
When we are at Church we tend to have Jesus radiating throughout us, we worship and hear the word of God, we talk with our like-minded friends for a while, and then we part ways…
Walking out those church doors we stick Jesus in our pockets a place where He is readily available “just in case we need him” but also hidden just enough that He can’t see what we are up to. Also hidden enough that we can “blend in” with our peers.
We, being many in the Christian faith.
The heart of it all
Why can’t we live both ways?
You cannot have a world in which you’ve got Jesus as a friend who’s sometimes on display and sometimes hidden away. Think of the commandment – love your neighbor as yourself –
Would you love to be taken some places, but left behind/put away for the places you don’t quite belong? No, we’d have FOMO if that happened to us.
So why do it to Jesus?
Spoiler Alert: Even if He is tucked away in our pocket, He still sees what we are doing.
It’s a Daily Choice
Here we are 13ish years since I last heard that Sermon.
I’d always equated it with how I’m acting with Church friends vs Work friends type of deal.
But then I started to think of it differently.
What are you doing today, to hide Jesus away, in every aspect of our life?
Think of all areas of your life…
Is it in the shows you watch?
The music we listen to…
Or how about the way we choose to speak?
What we post to social media…
To what do we give our time?
In all of these things think:
Would I sit down and watch this, listen to, speak with, spend time doing all of these things…
If Jesus was the friend I invited along to hang out?
Honest Hour
I’ve got room to grow.
The shows I watch aren’t always morally sound.
Why can’t all shows be like Christmas Rom-Coms lots of innocent flirting with an ending of
“Oh my goodness they kissed, even though we all knew this was coming since the beginning”
Instead, most of today’s shows are lust-filled, with amazing storylines but at what cost?
SO many bed scenes. Or books just the same, great plot, TOO MUCH detail. We get it, you’re really getting intimate, now please end the scene.
Would I invite Jesus to hang out and watch the latest show I’m binge-watching?
Insert justification…
But, I listen to Christian music, and my heart doesn’t get weighed down by the secular lyrics of the world.
I rarely curse or let evil talk come from my mouth. Because of this, I’ve got room to watch the above and it all comes out even no?
Do as I say, not as I do…
We limit what our children listen to and watch. Making sure to keep it pure, keep their hearts clean.
Explaining to them that someday when they’re older they can monitor just how much their hearts can handle.
While this is somewhat true, is it wise?
The questions I keep coming back are…
To what extent?
How much do you bend a rule until it’s too much?
To what extent do you watch something…
While I may not do the things I watch, their still imprinting on my heart and soul.
Am I not putting Jesus in my pocket to hide him from some of my secular life decisions?
Even if I am a Christian, who spends time in the word daily, who does bible study, goes to church, is involved in the church, and otherwise leads a life seeking Jesus.
Yet, come evening I turn on a show that is everything opposite of what I’m trying to show others daily.
Aren’t we called to share the Light of Jesus?
Is my light dimmer due to my choices?
Yes, we all stumble and fall, yes we all sin, everyone is guilty of it.
Does that mean it’s okay to consistently put lust in front of my eyes?
Let us face it 80% of television in today’s world is full of lust and language. Great plots, but at what cost?
Clean Heart
As most of you read in my last blog, I’ll be taking a 40-day (minimum) Social Media fast.
I’ve convinced myself to take a fast from all things in life that I wouldn’t do if Jesus was physically here with me.
Because He does see how we choose to use our time, and I need to separate myself from current habits.
Some of the ones I do to “veg out” might be part of my struggle to fully connect with God.
Sometimes we say things like “that’s the devil” or “The devil is really coming after me”
Is he slipping through the cracks in the areas of our life we’ve given him the space to do just that?
Psalm 51 is written by David, it’s a plea for mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing. God wants our hearts to be right with him.
Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Psalm 51: 9-12
Next Steps
So, instead of Do you keep Jesus on Display or Hidden away? Instead of the concept of do I put Jesus in my pocket…ask yourself this.
Would I invite Jesus to hang out with me in everything I do?
We’re human we’re bound to get wrapped up in binge-watching something that isn’t healthy for us.
A long time ago I once told my husband I was going to finish the shows I started and then be done with T.V. Because T.V. is getting intense. Here we are years later and “Oh just one more show, but this one is only 3 seasons” So here we are. I’m walking away, separating myself from these shows that I love.
Maybe I come back and stay true to my 3-year-old word of finishing the ones I’ve started.
Maybe I come back and say is it even worth it?
Who knows, what I know is this I need time to talk to God about it.
I don’t think God wants us to get rid of things that bring us enjoyment.
I do think His idea of enjoyment and our Idea of enjoyment are two extremely different things.
So, Lord, in my time away from the things of this secular world, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Does anyone want to join me!?
It’s a loaded blog, feel free to share your thoughts on the topic at hand.