" Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Phil 4:8 (NIV)
Technology has given us many cool things but has also given us many ways for the enemy of our souls to target our thought life.
Think about it, at one time you only heard music if you played it yourself or went to where it was played (like last night's Bikes Bands and BBQ!)
Now you can bring all your albums with you wherever you go in a device that fits into the palm of your hand.
We are always plugged in. I think if I said "bunny ears" to some young people today (in reference to a TV) they would have no idea what I am talking about. Even TV shows can be watched on a smartphone.
And all that music, movies, TV shows, have messages. Some subtle, some not so much.
Do those messages influence us?
Ever watch a TV show where all the people are beautiful and feel ugly afterwards, down on yourself?
Ever watch a movie and desire to do something heroic with your life afterwards?
The messages are there, we are just so accustomed to them we don't notice anymore.
These tools can be sources of great blessing or they can drag us down. The tool itself is not the problem, but what we allow into us is.
There are Biblical guidelines to consider, and I don't think I need to go into that. But for today, I would suggest something. Let's prayerfully pay attention to our media input and where our mind goes afterwards. How do we feel? Edified or put down? What kind of desires have been stirred up?
Then perhaps take a look again at Phil 4:8 and ask ourselves if what we allowed into our mind matched that criteria.
