Daily Devotional for Sunday October 28, 2007

The TV and Movie Industry Part 2

(1 Timothy 1:19, 4:12; 2 Timothy 4:4; 2 Peter 3:17)

THE TV AND MOVIE INDUSTRY AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON PEOPLE'S LIVES PART 2 OF 2 > > Some of the great movies of all time would never even be made today! > Easter Sunday afternoon I was able to enjoy some down time watching the > back nine of the Masters. Congratulations to Zack Johnson for holding off > Tiger Woods and winning one of golf's most prestigious tournaments. > Johnson took several opportunities to let a worldwide TV audience know > that his faith in Jesus Christ sustained him in those final holes. After > chatting with several good friends who are on the PGA Tour, it turns out > that Zack is not only a great golfer, but a very committed Christian. How > fitting his great victory came on Easter Sunday! > > After my wife and I ate some dinner, I sat down to catch up on some of the > day's news before going to bed. In scrolling thru the stations, I stopped > on AMC (American Movie Classics). Just starting was the 1937 classic movie > "Heidi" starring Shirley Temple. Instead of going to bed, I got my wife > and we watched this great movie classic together. Immediately following, > we watched another Temple classic "Little Miss Broadway." As I sat there > and enjoyed these two great movies, I couldn't help to think that if > someone was trying to make those exact movies today in the year 2007, they > would be laughed out of the offices of every major motion picture studio. > > Let me tell you what are some of the hottest movies the major motion > picture studios are putting out today. The Hills Have Eyes 2, Grindhouse, > 300, Dead Silence, Hannibal Rising, and soon to be released, Hostel 2, and > Saw 3. What do these movies all have in common? They make the studios tons > of cash and they are some of the sickest, most disgusting movies ever > created depicting human torture, mutilation, and killing. I already know > the standard answer from those who support these types of movies is that > it is not real, it is just a movie, it is entertainment, and that nobody > was really tortured and killed. I counter that weak justification with the > simple question, "What possible good can a person gain by watching such a > movie?" > > The answer is simple, NOTHING! I would also add that anyone who is > "entertained" by watching a person being tortured, mutilated, and killed, > has some very serious psychological issues. It is simply not normal to > find anything entertaining in seeing a person being tortured, mutilated > and killed. This is partially a byproduct of the world we live in that > places little to no value on human life. We slaughter 4,000 innocent > babies every day in this nation. Children grow up playing video games > where the goal is to kill your opponent. The media is feeding young adults > a steady diet of death on TV, in the movies, on the Internet, and through > music. It is no wonder kids today grow up desensitized to death and place > little value of human life. > > I think it is wonderful that the movie studios are producing more family > friendly movies. It is nice to have those options. While people of faith, > people who support more traditional family values will go to see those > types of movies, the very same studios also produce the sexual, violent, > mutilation films that glorify death because there is an insatiable demand > for those types of movies. The lost and hurting masses who choose to > reject Christ's love, live in rebellion to God and His Word, have so > hardened their hearts that they demand more blood, more gore, more > sensational ways to view death. Never forget, satan is about death and God > is about life. Those who follow satan embrace death and those who follow > Jesus embrace life, even in the movies they watch! > > Long gone are the innocent days of Shirley Temple. In just one generation > we have gone from the wholesomeness of Temple to the utter depravity of > movies graphically depicting every kind of deviant sexual act and ways to > kill another human being. As I watched those two Shirley Temple movies > that Sunday, I smiled as little Shirley knelt by her bed and said her > prayers, as her grandfather read passages from the Bible, and the scenes > of a church service complete with a few minutes of sound preaching and the > great old hymns of the faith. The sad reality of the year 2007 is that you > won't even find that in most so-called churches today!!! > > You don't have to have any history degrees to simply look at where this > nation was spiritually 70 years ago and where it is today. While things > weren't perfect, we still lived in a nation that honored God and revered > His Truth. Even though we had many different denominations, all Christian > churches still preached the Bible and called sinners to repent and turn > their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ by faith. Sin was not glorified and > accepted but condemned. Alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography all existed, > but they were deemed as deviant behavior not socially acceptable. False > religions and cults were not given a place of prominence but kept > underground. > > Marriage was without question one man and one woman for one lifetime, with > there being a huge stigma to divorce. Most children grew up in a home with > a mother and father, unlike most children today who grow up in broken and > blended homes. TV, radio, and the movies produced wholesome family > entertainment with strict standards of decency. Many say we have > progressed over the past 70 years. I agree that we have progressed in > every way but the most critical, SPIRITUALLY! You don't have to be saved, > read the Bible, or even believe in God to know that as a nation, as a > people, we are in spiritual free fall! > > I love you and care about you so much. As I layed in bed Sunday night, I > couldn't go to sleep right away. I wanted to cry but couldn't. We have > become a wicked people. Millions of people are spending eternity in hell > because we have allowed our society to lose sight of God, forget the Truth > of His Word, and reject the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. As > someone who has committed my life to serving the Lord I weep daily for > this nation and the lost masses who will perish and spend eternity in > hell. I am resigned to the fact that this nation is so lost, its heart so > hardened, that it will never turn back to God. But that only motivates me > to do more each day to reach those who are hurting, are searching for > answers, and do want to find true hope that only exists in a personal > relationship with Jesus Christ.. > > You see, it is still about souls my friend. One at a time. Yes it would be > wonderful to see this nation fall on its knees and repent and turn back to > God. If that happens praise God. However, those who know the Lord can > still make a huge impact on millions of lives who without Jesus will spend > eternity in hell. We have great hurdles to overcome, great obstacles to > clear, but with God's strength we can overcome those hurdles and obstacles > and be victorious in bringing in that last great harvest of souls before > our Lord returns. > > The contrast between the Shirley Temple movies of a generation gone by and > the graphic mutilation and death movies of today demonstrate how far we > have fallen as a people. But it is still about each individual soul, and > knowing how many souls will be lost forever should be all the motivation > the child of God needs to give all they have to reach as many as they can > with the Truth of God's Word and the hope and love of Jesus Christ. The > time is short, Jesus is coming, and the lost masses are out there waiting > for someone to reach them. It is time to get serious and busy about > bringing these lost souls the hope they yearn for and helping them find > the peace, joy, and everlasting life that only comes from knowing Jesus!