Scripture: Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Devotional: In 2023, the revenue of the entertainment market in the United States was 2.83 trillion dollars. That number is projected to be 3.42 trillion by 2028.* Now, there isn’t anything inherently wrong with entertainment. We should use our morals and convictions to filter through what we watch and listen to. But there is no hard and fast rule that we should not watch or listen to anything. Rather, the point that I am making here is merely about the size of the entertainment industry.
In order for an industry to be this size, people must be consuming it. And with a number as hefty as 2.32 trillion dollars in revenue, we are consuming a lot of it. The antichrist works through distraction. He uses distraction to get us to worship anything but Jesus. I mentioned that the average American will have over 2,500 hours of screen time this year- distraction. A 2.32 trillion-dollar entertainment industry- distraction. Being so consumed by politics that you have made the idol in your life instead of God- distraction.
We can also be distracted by things that are good. If we serve at church but do so frequently enough that it becomes what we are finding our value in instead of Jesus- distraction. If we are loving and raising our kids but we are not trusting in God as the one who gifted them to us and that they ultimately belong to- distraction.
We need to clean our hearts and our minds of the clutter that is taking the place of God. What do you have on a pedestal? What are you creating time for? What sits on the throne of your life instead of Jesus? Let’s put Him back in His rightful place as Lord over our life and stop being so distracted all of the time.
*https://www.statista.com/statistics/237749/value-of-the-global-entertainment-and-media-market/
Reflect:
- What are some practical ways that you can ensure that you are putting God first in every aspect of your life?