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Leviticus 10-Why I Won't Do TV


In reading through the bible today I contemplated Leviticus 10. The Israelites were done with worshipping the golden calf in exodus 32. It had been a very tense moment when the masses openly challenged the authority of Moses and of God over their lives. Now was another tense moment. Aaron's sons had gone against newly instituted worship rituals and God had killed them on the spot. A very unfortunate event coming so soon after their ordination. However it is Leviticus 10:10 that caught my attention;

"You must distinguish between the holy and the common..."

Holy means, set aside for God.

I ask myself; what does this mean for me? For some the word holy evokes images of the Pope arrayed in gloriously white vestments. Personally I think holiness is much more mundane than we think. Let me explain.

Leviticus 10:10 took my mind back to the commitment I made some time in 2013 to avoid watching TV especially local news. My motivation then, was to get away from the political din. With time I am convinced that I should avoid TV all together as well as movies, especially those depicting nudity. A statement from Pastor John Piper aptly captures my current outlook. He says;

"There are, perhaps, a few extraordinary men who can watch action-packed, suspenseful, sexually explicit films and come away more godly. But there are not many. And I am certainly not one of them."

As a result I seldom watch TV and when I do I consider it a major repentance issue. I rarely watch movies and when I do I first read its synopsis and reviews to gauge the extent of violence, nudity and foul language in the plot. And when on a fast I avoid FB, twitter and browsing the internet for news or entertainment.

Why?

Well I am attempting to get rid of all things I feel have the potential to constantly channel impurities into my life. At other times it is just that they can be great time-wasters. And I rue every moment of my short life that is deemed wasted. 
I encourage every Christian to pick out at least four big sins in their life and then go on a personal war of attrition against them. fight back. For me its been visual and print media. The fact that I fail sometimes doesn't mean I won't try to live by the injunction;

"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy" 1 Peter 1:14-16

On this TV/movies matter I agree with John Piper who has not owned a TV in 40 years. He says;


There is not one man in a thousand whose spiritual eyes are more readily moved by the beauty of Christ because he has just seen a bare breast with his buddies. 


The bible does say that without holiness no one will see God (Hebrews 12:14).
And I desperately want to see God!

How about you; what's the holiness habit you are cultivating?


Acknowledgements;
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-i-dont-have-a-television-and-rarely-go-to-movies

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