Page 14 - Grace Connections October Issue

CLOSING THOUGHTS.
Pastor Joe Garnett
ARE YOU SETTING AT A TABLE
JESUS WOULD OVERTURN?
How many times have we sat
down to a meal that we knew was
not good for us? But it was
something that we really loved, so
we chose to eat it anyhow, and
often paid the consequences for it
later. And like many others we
vowed each time that it was the
last time, we would never do it
again.
Sadly, to many people are
frequently setting down at table
that Jesus would have overturned.
It has become so easy to set at
these tables because they are
feeding us with things of the world
that we still have a desire for and
justify by telling ourselves that is
just the way the world is today and
we can not avoid it.
And it is subtle things that
most are probably not even aware
of the table they are setting at.
Friends at work were talking about
this great movie they had seen on
television, how it was packed with
top named actors, and had a good
plot; (something very rare in
modern day tv.) Now you are
home relaxing, and you notice this
great movie is going to be on, so
you change channels to watch it.
You set there engrossed in
this film that you failed to realize
how much vulgarity or how many
times it was used in the movie. Or
if you did realize you shrug it off
with, “that’s just the way people
talk now.” Then when something
happens that frustrates you and we
suddenly hear those words coming
from your mouth and wonder
where they came from. After all,
you don’t talk that way. Or you
hear one of you children use those
words and are confused where
they learned that from.
We are living in a society
today where it is not uncommon
even during prime time viewing
slots to see partial or even full
nudity in television shows,
especially since we have so many
streaming channels available now.
And most people have accepted
that is being normal anymore, yet
we wonder why we struggle so
much with lust, why we have such
high teen pregnancies, and why
almost sixty percent of pastors
survived admitted to struggling
with pornography.
Last, but certainly not least,
look at the number of television
shows and movies that open make