Moral Limbo
There was a guest on the O'Reilly Factor last night who make some very interesting comments. Her name was Cora Daniels, author of a new book entitled Ghetto Nation. Ms. Daniels' book details how we, in America, have become an essentially shameless society. She spoke about the recent antics of famous pop stars, and said that we embrace vulgarity and lewd behavior and that the stars, whether music, movie or sports, know that in order to get our attention, they must do something immoral. She went on to say that we have lowered the bar of our standards too low and continue to lower it even more.
It reminded me of that old game from the West Indies. Do you remember Limbo? The bar balances precariously on two poles and the object is to walk under it while leaning backwards, careful not to knock it from the poles. I think there was even a song or a chant --- "How low can you go?" Remember?
I have been wondering that about the morals and values of our society--how low can we go? I am appalled that not only are people doing what is despicable and horrible, but then we all talk about it over and over, on the tv, on the radio, at the water cooler, on the playdate, just before ladies Bible class. And the shamelessness continues. We seem to have lost our filter and our ability to differentiate between what is suitable to speak of and watch and do and that which promotes shamelessness. There are subjects now a part of everyday conversations that were at one time considered private and inappropriate for public discussion. We have "dumbed down" our values.
One of the problems with dumbing down our values, (besides the obvious that God never wanted us to live by our values but by His), is that we continue to lower them lower and lower. We have become a limbo nation and those around us could ask. "how low can you go?"
Sin is sin, calling it a publicity stunt does not make it any less sinful. Lying is lying, calling it little white lies, makes it no less a lie. Gossip is gossip, calling in shared concern does not make it something else. Adultery is adultery and calling it an affair, (as if it were a gala or a party) makes it no less harmful and sinful. WE don't even blush anymore and we should.
I know the blood of Jesus takes our guilt away and we can live confident in the faith. But if the Holy Lord, God Himself, looked down on His people and was so ashamed of their behavior, He regretted making them, we can also feel shame and we should. We are God's people, people striving to be like Jesus, and as such we need to be more discriminating. We need to be people who blush. In the game of moral limbo, we need to be able to make it under the bar, standing up straight!!!!
Neva
Ezra 9:6 "O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens."
It reminded me of that old game from the West Indies. Do you remember Limbo? The bar balances precariously on two poles and the object is to walk under it while leaning backwards, careful not to knock it from the poles. I think there was even a song or a chant --- "How low can you go?" Remember?
I have been wondering that about the morals and values of our society--how low can we go? I am appalled that not only are people doing what is despicable and horrible, but then we all talk about it over and over, on the tv, on the radio, at the water cooler, on the playdate, just before ladies Bible class. And the shamelessness continues. We seem to have lost our filter and our ability to differentiate between what is suitable to speak of and watch and do and that which promotes shamelessness. There are subjects now a part of everyday conversations that were at one time considered private and inappropriate for public discussion. We have "dumbed down" our values.
One of the problems with dumbing down our values, (besides the obvious that God never wanted us to live by our values but by His), is that we continue to lower them lower and lower. We have become a limbo nation and those around us could ask. "how low can you go?"
Sin is sin, calling it a publicity stunt does not make it any less sinful. Lying is lying, calling it little white lies, makes it no less a lie. Gossip is gossip, calling in shared concern does not make it something else. Adultery is adultery and calling it an affair, (as if it were a gala or a party) makes it no less harmful and sinful. WE don't even blush anymore and we should.
I know the blood of Jesus takes our guilt away and we can live confident in the faith. But if the Holy Lord, God Himself, looked down on His people and was so ashamed of their behavior, He regretted making them, we can also feel shame and we should. We are God's people, people striving to be like Jesus, and as such we need to be more discriminating. We need to be people who blush. In the game of moral limbo, we need to be able to make it under the bar, standing up straight!!!!
Neva
Ezra 9:6 "O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens."
posted by Neva | 6:59 AM
22 Comments:
Amen, Amen and Amen!! I totally agree with what you said and what scares me to death is that this is the society I'm sending my boys out into. I just hope that I can teach them that standing up straight is where they want to be instead of doing the limbo!
Really good thoughts, Neva. I'm sure we all struggle with where to set our moral standards. It's a constant battle to know where to draw the line -- on movies you watch, TV shows, books you read, etc. Sin and low moral standards are everywhere and what we allow to come into our houses gets more and more disgusting all the time. As a child (teen), I used to be embarrassed by my level of naivete. I would often get teased about the things I was uninformed about. These days, I would give anything to go back in time and remove some of the things from my mind that I've seen or heard.
Neva,
Amen, preach it!
There are so many passages that come to mind. I will not preach them but just say I hear you and Agree. Ok, I can't help but point out the passages in Jeremiah 6 & 8 about lacking the ability to blush.
Lisa, I am with you. I so wish I could wipe those things out of my memory. I do know though that God takes some memories away after a period of time. Many indescretions from my youth are long past. I don't remember them. I think it has to do with where our mind is focused. (You know the book of Philippians talks about that.)
James
I have to totally agree with Neva, Traci and Lisa. It boggles the mind to think of how our society's moral bars have changed, just in my lifetime.
And, it has gotten so brazen that the enemy telegraphs his next moves, throwing the schlop right in our faces and laughing at us, knowing all the while that his agenda will be accepted.
That verse is one I have never read--it says so much in such a few words. Like the others who commented, I would give anything to erase the bad from my mind, to not think of dirty jokes when I hear certain words, to not say bad things when I am upset or hurt and to not forget to keep private stuff private. I would like to say I loved this post, but I hated it, it hit way too close to home.
Good post, makes you kinda want to be a monk and live where there was no negative outside influence doesn't it?
Jean
Yeah, yeah--preach on--we need to remember this. We need to raise the bar.
Good post
Dan
No, I would not want to be a monk, I think there will always be things to tempt us to be not like God. We just became such an accepting society that we dont take the precautions we need to remain pure and holy.
Good thoughts Neva
Carlos
I talked to my children about this all the time. There is such an assault on their morals and values. parents should be very careful about even cartoons--there is a lot of stuff in them that are wrong.
I like your post
Rachel
Yes. Good post.
Society, and sadly Christians, have become so accustomed to hearing and seeing inappropriate things, that sometimes people don't even realize any more that they are inappropriate. I have heard people talk about movies and say how good they are and then when I watch them, I can't believe the language. They will say, oh I didn't even notice the language. That's a big problem... When we are so accustomed to hearing that type of thing that we don't even realize any more that it's being said. We are called to be sanctified, to be set apart from the world. How can we be set apart when we accept all the same things the world accepts? Great thoughts!
neva-
We can only hope (the real biblical kind) that once we hit bottom we will start to bounce back- UP.
AW
Absolutely! It's digusting what's called entertainment these days. Since when did deciding who the father is of some psuedo-celebrity become breaking news?? It's repulsive. I picked up a People magazine the other day only to put it down in shame and embarrassment. It's filth and not worth my time. Keep preaching maybe some will listen.
Neva, great post.
So many thought going through my head right now that I can't organize them well enough for words, but you are absolutely 100% correct. God is a holy God and he expects his people to be holy people.
I think we have confused holy with perfect and have given up because we realize we can't be perfect. Or, at least that seems to be the sentiment on many.
I think if we are going to change anything it has to start with each of us living moral lives and instilling moral values in our children.
As parents, we need to stop dressing our children in immoral clothing, stop letting them watch and listen to immoral things AND BE AN EXAMPLE to them in these areas -- not do as I say not as I do -- but follow me as I follow Christ.
Thanks for the post.
Neva,
How do we unlearn or unhear the bad things that we put into our minds before we were christians?
it is really hard to not think about bad stuff when you have done it for a long time.
Kara
This is so true. We are a shameless nation.
Good post, Neva
Carol
For all of the reasons you give, Neva, and all of your commenters, we as Christians need to remember that WE are God's light into a dark world. We MUST make sure that by our lives and through our Godly lives everyone around us knows that we are different. That we are upright and good in all we do and say.
We must, too, as parents, be vigilant and spend as much time with our children (and in my case, grandchildren) teaching them moral values and the truth found in God and in God alone.
A couple of Saturdays ago Tom and I took our little four year old granddaughter, Zoe, with us for the day and my heart was warmed to hear her talking away in the back seat about how "God made the flowers, God made bugs, God made trees, God made . . ." On and on she went and I felt blessed at the words of this little child and what she has learned from my younger son (the one I wrote to you about) and his wife, who are Godly parents.
They send her to a Christian pre-school and take her to Sunday School and she has been in worship since she was a baby. THIS is how we make the world different.
Not by bemoaning how evil the world is, which it is without a doubt, but by rising up and remembering who we are and DOING SOMETHING POSITIVE ABOUT IT!
That is what I would encourage us all to do today. God will be with us and bless us in doing so and keep us safe, even in persecution, if it should come to that.
Cheers & Blessings to you each tody! Dee
Another great post, Neva and again, right on target.
May I suggest again that, if at all possible, y'all read David Kupelian's book The Marketing of Evil.
The first chapter can give a misconception that it's a book bent on bashing homosexuals, and I've commented before, wish he'd started with another chapter and then brought this one in later. That aside, this is a bone-chilling book and one I'd suggest we all read. It has certainly changed my attitude about news reports, subtle messages in TV shows, theatre, newspapers, magazines, etc.
The only way we can combat this is through prayer and being aware where and how the battle for our kids' minds is being waged.
But "Greater is He who is within you...."
Thanks, Neva for posting this!!
btw-a prayer request is posted on my blog today. Hope you can take a moment to read it.
Love ya'll
Kathy
Neva ... you amaze me. You always have such good material. And you do it "EVERY DAY!" You have such a skill for writing. I loved your thoughts here.
Trey
Thank you all for your comments.
Trey, you are too kind, I am humbled by your remarks.
Kara,James addressed that really well in his comment. He is talking about Philippians 4:8 ff--where the Apostle Paul tells us what things should fill our minds. The idea is that the more you fill your mind with spiritual things, the less room there is in there for worldly things. Eventually when spiritual thoughts become so much a habit, so much a part of who you are, the worldly thoughts are not there. Occasionally they will rear their ugly heads again but we just have to refocus on the spiritual.
I hope I interpreted what you said correctly James. And Kara, I hope this helps.
Peace and prayers
n
Excellent post! Remember when the Jews were taken into captivity because of the Nations sins, there were still Godly men taken into captivity also, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego etc.
Jeremiah 6:15 "The do not even know how to blush."
To go along with what James was saying, we have great freedom in Christ. Freedom to do the things that are beneficial for us, others and the kingdom and freedom to not just go with the world's flow. We are free to be separated and free to celebrate in a spiritual euphoria - isn't that what people take drugs for?
Second, the verse I thought of is the humbling Isaiah 6 passage. "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ... "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruinened! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almight."
I will never forget the first time I read this passage and the awe that it left me with. I too will see my Lord and I will feel the pain of being unclean compared to His glory, but the blood of Jesus will separate me from those that are unclean around me. I can never be as clean and holy as my Lord while I am here, but I can remember that one day my eyes will see the King, the Lord Almighty and in the moral limbo around me, I will say, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
Kathy
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home