Line Up!

1 Corinthians 2:7-16

Two friends and I spent a weekend together last summer. We ate, laughed, shopped, and laughed some more. Late one night we were lying around in our pj’s when one of my friends said, “Let’s watch my tape of Sex and the City.”
I don’t have HBO at home, so I had never seen the award-winning comedy. It was cleverly written, had some humorous insights about the single life, and the four main characters had a strong, caring friendship.

But the show mercilessly hammered my conscience. One character had sex with a man the night they met. Sex was portrayed more graphically than can be done on network television. And it treated sex lightly, as nothing more than a game of tag.

There are no specific rules about television in the Bible—even in the most up-to-date translations. But there are lots of guidelines about sex. It’s a crucial subject. And if we want to take God seriously, we have to take seriously what He says about it. The key is to get our thoughts in line with God’s—whether it’s about sex, money, family, honesty, or any other issue we deal with. And we have the means to do it.

As followers of Christ, “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). We have “the Spirit who is from God” (v.12). As we strive to connect with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, we can see things the way God sees and make correct judgments (v.15). God has made it possible for us not only to know about Him but to know Him—personally. That intimate knowledge of Him, and growth in His wisdom, starts in our heart—a heart that loves Him (v.9).

I’m not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t be watching on TV. (Although I feel safe in saying that you should leave Sex and the City off your “to-watch” list.) Go deeper. Understand your world “not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit” (v.13).

He’s there. Do you know Him? He’s able. Are you willing? —Tracy Carbaugh

bottom line: The mind of Christ should guide our lives.

soul journey