ENTERTAINMENT ISN’T EVERYTHING
“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8
Entertainment isn’t everything.
But we sometimes act like it is.
The days of only 4 channels and TVs with rabbit-eared antennas are ancient history. These days, we live in an entertainment wonderland. We are privy to an endless buffet of entertainment options at the press of a button- social media, apps, YouTube, video games, sports, Netflix, HBO max, etc. And if we happen to get bored with what’s available today, there are new selections to feast on tomorrow.
So, it’s time for an honest evaluation.
Ask yourself- How much time do I devote to entertainment in a given week?
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying our favorite form of entertainment, though we certainly must be careful about the kind of content we consume.
But let’s call entertainment what it is – a distraction.
A distraction keeps us from giving our full attention to something else.
Heads up!
The devil loves to distract the sons and daughters of God. Ultimately, the enemy is looking to destroy us. But if he can’t destroy us, then he seeks to distract us to death.
And in today’s digital age, entertainment is his [the devil’s] primary tool of distraction.
Here’s the thing: entertainment often keeps us from what is most important.
And what is most important?
Paul tells us it is knowing, “Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). We can almost hear the passion in his voice as he proclaims, “for whose sake he has lost all things” (verse 8). In other words, Paul found Jesus Christ to be so immensely beautiful, so extravagantly wonderful, so mind-blowingly glorious, that everything on earth paled in comparison to knowing Him.
You see, Jesus Christ was simply too good to keep to himself. He traveled the known world sharing the good news of Jesus with whoever would listen (See Acts 9-28).
Simply put, Paul lived for knowing Christ and making Him known.
Time for another honest evaluation:
Do you share Paul’s passion for knowing and sharing Jesus?
Or has entertaining yourself gradually diverted your attention from what is most important?
The Westminster Catechism echoes Paul’s sentiments, “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”
Truth to be told, it’s hard to glorify and enjoy God if we’re always mindlessly staring at a screen.
You see, the older I get, the more I realize how short life really is. We only have one, brief life to know God and help make Him known. Something tells me that we won’t get to the end of our days and say, “I wish I had devoted more time to entertainment.”
Rather, we’ll be on our deathbeds and regret not devoting more energy to glorifying and enjoying God.
So, seize the moment.
Consider dialing back the time you spend on entertainment and spend it deepening your relationship with Christ.
You’ll be glad you did.
Unlike entertainment, Jesus really is everything.
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
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