Junk In, Junk Out

“Finally Brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”   Philippians 4:8

None of us would make cookies with rotten eggs and sour milk and expect the cookies to taste amazing. Also, I don’t think any of us would use dirty water to take a shower in and expect to come out clean. So why do we think that we can fill our minds with all sorts of worldly music, movies, books, and friends and expect to have a pleasing aroma to the Lord or be a clean, refreshing reflection of Him?

            This is a question that I have struggled with over and over again, so I feel like that if I struggled with it, surely other people have too. I still don’t have all the answers, but I am going to try to explain what it means to be in the world and not of the world and why it is so important. 

Picture this- on top of a majestic mountain is a small spring of icy cold, crystal clear water that flows in a waterfall down the mountain to a shimmering lake that reflects the light of the sun. Then imagine that as seasons change and storms come and go, that little by little that spring becomes dirty and starts to get junk in it. Nothing major, just a leaf here and some dirt there, but as time goes by all those little things build up and start polluting and corrupting the spring and all the water flowing from it. When the spring is not protected from dirt and debris and the waters are not actively kept clean then there will be a decrease in the purity and freshness of the water which in the end ruins the beauty of the lake as well.

In the same way, what we put in our minds is what we get out of them. When we fill our minds with junky things we cannot expect to get purity and holiness back in return. Just like the spring, it doesn’t have to be the big things that pollute our minds; it can be the buildup of many little things that can destroy us. It doesn’t even have to be bad things that make our hearts dirty; when we don’t clean our hearts they get dusty, and when they get dusty our hearts cannot shine forth the light of our Lord and we get sloppy and undisciplined in our walk with our Savior.

We do not need to make a list of rights and wrongs and we cannot just make up a formula to guarantee a life of holiness. However, there are some biblical principles and guidelines to apply to each of our lives. There are many things the Bible is very specific about, like the Ten Commandments for example, and then there are things that the Bible seems vague on like what kind of music to listen to, what books to read, or what movies to watch. However, I firmly believe that the Bible has all that we need for life and godliness. So I am confident that whatever questions you have about how to live in this world can be answered by studying the Word of God.

God’s Word is like the cleansing agent for our souls- spiritual Windex, so to speak. Without it we become dirty, smeared, and dull Christians. Also, spending one-on-one time in the presence of God through a set apart quiet time is spiritual nourishment for us. When we don’t get fed properly we become mal-nourished in our souls and unable to serve God and others to our full potential.

The other week I was reading a little devotional to my Wednesday night class that was a huge blessing to me as I was thinking about how to write this chapter. As I stated before I have always struggled with the question ‘how can I live in this world and be a part of my country’s culture without becoming like the world’? This little devotional was explaining to children that when we become so caught up in what is going on in our own little worlds, that God ends up on the edge of our life then we have become too absorbed with ourselves and this godless world. So here is the point I am trying to make- God must be the center of our thoughts, our actions, and ultimately our lives. When things that we do interfere with that, then we have a problem. When we are so caught up in what new movie is coming out or who the hottest actors are, how can we focus on the majesty and beauty of the person of God? When we become so focused on making an “A” in our school work or when we work so much that we don’t have time to really sit down and be still, what will we do when things don’t go as we planned? When all we have is secular love songs and pointless music with no eternal significance blaring through our mp3 or iPod earphones, then how can we sing a new song to the Lord for all the things he has done? These are the type of questions that you have to ask yourself, because no one else knows where your heart is except for you and God.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying don’t watch new movies, don’t worry about making good grades, and never listen to secular music. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is be careful that you don’t let those things define you. There is one thing that you cannot be compromising for and that is your walk with the Lord. Here are some ways that we can change the way we live in order to make God more a part of our lives… Maybe instead of going to see a movie in theatres, get some girlfriends together and watch a movie about a hero of the faith or start a Bible study. Instead of sacrificing a morning with God to making a perfect 100% on your next test, settle for 90% and trust God to bless that. Switch up your music. Stop listening to songs that are just filler music that are fun to listen to but don’t feed your soul. Find a solid Christian band that sings about biblical truth and sing praises out loud to the Lord. Or even better listen to some old hymns every once in a while. One of my personal favorite bands to listen to is Selah. When I am having a rough day and need some encouragement or perhaps I have not spent the time that I know I needed to with the Lord that morning, I’ll pop that CD in and sing all the way to school and by the time I get there I am so encouraged I know that God will lead me through that day.

Girls, if you want to serve God and if you truly are seeking to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength then you are going to have to immerse yourselves in God’s Word. Too often throughout school and at church I have heard these complaints from young women. “I feel like God is far away from me.” Or, “It is so hard to pray. I just can’t stay focused”. And, “I just don’t feel like I am growing as a Christian and I don’t know what I need to change.” I believe that the source of all these problems is that we have become too caught up in what we want, what we planned, and what we do. Do you see a pattern here? Who are we talking about? We are talking about us- OUR wants, Our plans, and OUR actions. Where isGOD? God is on the very edge of our hearts! Either consciously or unconsciously we have removed God from His rightful place on the throne of our hearts and placed Him in a dusty closet: out of sight, out of mind.

Just recently God has taught me the importance of nourishing and cleansing my heart and soul. I was in the middle of finals week in my last semester of college. I had not been consistently in the Word and had not been having a quiet time at all for about a week or more. I was spending hours in my school books, even more hours in class, and no time set apart to settle my spirit and meditate on God. I was finding myself very much on edge and snappy. My patience level was at about a 1 on a scale of 0-10. I was saying rude things to people, yelling at my brothers, and purposefully ignoring opportunities to serve people. By the end of finals week I was a mess spiritually. Then God fully arrested my heart by convicting me of my actions. The last straw was when my brother was being silly about some small issue that he could not get over and I stomped across the room yelling at him and just got so mad that I smacked him! I have never hit one of my brothers before and I am usually fairly even tempered. I shocked myself more than him I think, but God used that moment, and my own repulsive behavior to convict my heart. He showed me that when we are not praying and reading God’s Word regularly that is when the devil will find our weaknesses and strike without mercy and that is when our natural, sinful person shines through because we have blocked out the Holy Spirit’s leading and clouded over our conscience with trashy, unimportant junk.

My evil, sinful nature was at the center of my heart because God was not where He was supposed to be! What should I have done to avoid this situation? Is there any excuse for this kind of behavior? Absolutely not! Why is the verse at the beginning of this chapter, Philippians 4:8, so important for us to understand? Because God calls us to be Holy. “For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy; for I am holy…”[1] What does it mean to think on things that are lovely, pure, and excellent? Obviously because we live in a fallen world and because we are fallen people, God does not expect perfection from us. If you read the context of Philippians 4, Paul is writing to encourage the saints in Philippi and he wants them to remember that we, as Christians, are not natives of this world. We belong to another country and we are just traveling through this temporary world. He wants us to have a mindset of always looking toward the high calling of Jesus Christ in our lives and towards the prize- eternal life in the indescribable presence of Jesus Christ! God also calls us to live purely because we are His ambassadors on the earth. An ambassador is one who represents a foreign country or is a spokesperson for someone who is not present. We are to be lights in the darkness, salt that makes the gospel savory to those who hear it, and a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. In the Sermon on the Mount in the book of Matthew, Jesus tells His people how to live. He says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven[2]”. That is our ultimate purpose- to glorify our Father in Heaven. The only way we can do that is by learning what it means to become more and more like Him, and God has given us all that we need to do that. Trust in Him and He will work all things out.  “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.[3]” Delight yourself in His Word and delight yourself in His presence and He will bless you beyond all that you can think or imagine!

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[1] Leviticus 11:44a

[2] Matthew 5:16

[3] Psalm 37:4

Giving an Account

Apples of Gold in Settings of Silver

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of sliver.

Proverbs 25:11

When someone says, “O she said a four letter word!” you know what they mean. They are not talking about food, hair, a book, or cola. You know they are talking about a bad word, a dirty word. Well this chapter is not about the sinfulness of cussing or using abusive language, here we are going to address a much more common problem with our words, a problem that is way to often over looked- The problem of gossip and impure words.

Words have very powerful meanings. God used words to create the world and raise people from the dead. He also used words to condemn people who were in opposition to Him.

In the book, Relationships- A Mess Worth Making, authors Tim Lane and Paul Tripp describe why watching what we say is so very important. They say,

“Because our words have power and direction, they always produce some kind of harvest. It will be a life harvest of comfort, encouragement, hope, insight, unity, and joy, or a death harvest of fear, discouragement, falsehood, division, and sadness. Words can open up the mysteries of the universe for someone. Words can crush a person’s spirit, excite, anger, or stimulate love. Words have power.”[1]

 Words can ruin some ones reputation or build someone up and the Bible says that we are accountable for every word that comes out of our mouths, so we have to be very careful. In the book of James, James uses some very descriptive language to describe the magnitude and power the tongue can have. Let’s take a look:

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body… With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in His likeness.” James 3: 3-12.

Amy Carmichael, a missionary role model of mine in India, had several phrases that were conversation guidelines in the orphanage, Dohnavur that she started in 1901 for girls that were being sold to temples as cult prostitutes or babies that were going to be killed because of the poverty rate in India at the time.[2] One of the phrases she had was, “The absent are safe with us,” meaning that they wouldn’t gossip about others when they are gone, and the second one was … “Is it true, is it kind, and is it necessary?”

The phrase “the absent are safe with us” and “is it true” can be very similar in meaning. What they are both saying is that we won’t talk about other people in a negative way or talking about them when they can’t defend themselves. It also means that when other people gossip or talk about other people when they are not around that you will defend that person. I really do believe in the phrase “Innocent until proven guilty”, it means that we should always think the best about people until anything that they may have said or done is proven to be true.

 Gossip can spread like a wildfire and effect many people and ruin people’s lives.  In        Proverbs 16: 28 it says, “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends. I have seen on a first hand basis the effects that gossip can have on close friends, family members, and even an entire school! It is devastating what one wrong or misquoted word can do to some ones entire reputation. Gossip can have such a strong effect that it can cause people to question why they are alive and what purpose their life serves, which in turn can lead to suicide. God forbid that any of you ever be that person, who at the expense of others shares false or unproven facts about them.

 Gossip is an out-of-control wildfire of ignorance and immaturity. One way that you can combat the sin of gossip is to keep your thoughts pure. Why is it so important that you keep your thoughts pure? Because “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”[3] What you say is a reflection of what you think, and what you think is a reflection of the condition of your heart. If your heart is immersed in the Word of God and you are spending daily time with Him in prayer asking Him to guide your thoughts and your words, then your fight against unwholesome and sinful words will not be such a struggle. God will address all your needs if you will ask him.

Impure words, or talking about things that are inappropriate is also totally unbiblical. Think about this verse, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”[4] I don’t have any idea what you girls talk about when you think your parents aren’t listening or when you are surrounded by people who pressure you to talk and think about bad things, but does what you say benefit the people that are listening to you? Does talking about boys and sex encourage your friends towards godliness? Somehow, even though I don’t know you I have a very strong feeling it doesn’t. I understand that it is easy to get pulled in to a crude conversation so what are your alternatives? This is something that I really struggle with because I am on a secular college campus almost every day and sometimes it truly is impossible to get away from all the filthy talk that goes on. So let me give you some suggestions about what to do when you are with your friends or even a room full of strangers. First, try to change the topic of conversation by either saying, “You know, talking about this really makes me uncomfortable. Could we talk about something different?” Or even something a little more casual like, “Come on guys you know we shouldn’t be talking about this stuff.” However, if all else fails you always have the ability to leave the group, the room, or the situation. None of these things that I mentioned are easy. In fact most of what I suggested would by God’s standards be considered suffering for righteousness sake. Words and actions like these might even cause you to lose some friends but it is worth it. If your friends leave you because you stand up for what is right then that is a sure sign that they were not very good friends to start with. On top of all that, God promises to bless those who stand for righteousness! What more could you ask for? If God is on your side who can be against you?

So why is all these stuff important? Let’s read Colossians 3: 8-9… “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now (Christian) you must rid yourself of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken your old self with it’s practices.” I believe that when Paul wrote this he was also thinking about what he wrote to the Corinthians in his second letter to them earlier on. In 2 Corinthians 5: 17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” In other words we are to stop gossiping, stop talking about dirty things, and start speaking truth because God has pulled us out of the sinking sand of our past lives and put us on the Solid Rock of Jesus’ blood and sacrifice for us so that we could be pure and blameless before a pure and blameless God. That is an act that is beyond what we can comprehend. The infinitely pure, transcendently majestic God of this whole world chose you from the foundations of the earth to make you clean and holy and to spend eternity with him in Heaven!

Wow! How many more reasons do we need to speak in a wholesome manner? Girls I don’t know if you struggle with this sin in your life or not, but I hope that reading this will give you the courage you need to stand up for God and His word or to encourage someone who needs that courage.

                                                                                                                       

James 1:26

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[1] Relationships- A Mess Worth Making. Tim Lane, Paul Tripp. 2006. New Growth Press. Greensboro 27429.

[2] http://www.dohnavurfellowship.org/

[3] Look up reference

[4] Ephesians 4: 29