Shades of Gray: Part 2 (The Filter)

Last night I encountered another “shades of gray” moment.

After the kids go to bed in the evening, I enjoy watching a little TV to wind down. The problem is that there are few shows that are appropriate to watch.

My favorite shows are legal dramas. Watching them could be considered permissible. Okay, maybe some of the storylines are questionable. Also, some of the characters are involved in inappropriate relationships. The shades of gray started to appear in my mind like a swatch of paint colors.

First Corinthians 10:23 ran through my head. “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive.”

As I thought about this verse, I realized it could be a valuable filter for so many things in our lives. Just as a furnace filter stops junk from getting in our home or a dryer filter catches the lint before it pollutes our clean clothes, this verse could be a filter for decisions in our lives.

We could think of this verse before we overeat, before we choose a movie, before we speak or before we make a financial decision. We could use this verse as a filter for almost anything in our lives.

You may be wondering if I watched that legal drama I mentioned earlier. I did choose to watch it. However, after a few minutes the storyline turned “off color.” I turned it off. I knew where the show was headed and I didn’t need that negative influence in my mind.

This morning I made coffee. I used a filter to keep the unwanted grounds out of my delightful hot drink. Later today I’ll drink filtered water from my fridge. I guess if I’m taking precautions to filter what goes into my body, I should also filter what’s going into my mind.

I have a challenge for us today. Write out 1 Corinthians 10:23 and tape to your fridge, phone, TV, checkbook or any other area of temptation. Use it as a filter for your mind. It will be interesting to see what seeps through this filter – and what doesn’t!

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 10

Prayer: Lord, I know I have a choice as to what I put in my mind. Please help me to use 1 Corinthians 10:23 as a filter for decisions I make. I want to make choices that glorify You. Please give me the strength to choose the things that are beneficial and constructive according to Your will.