There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. -Mark 7:15 (NKJV)
At the 2014 Grammy Awards, Christian singer Natalie Grant was nominated for her single “Hurricane,” and was in the crowd…but walked out early. Why? She didn’t want to sit in her seat and give passive, tacit approval to the some of the content of the awards ceremonies that night.
Many on social media bombarded Ms. Grant’s Facebook page, and a predictable firestorm ensued from would be supporters and opposers. Not the witness I think God was looking for.
It’s interesting that the world will gladly smack Christ followers down for standing by what the world believes are backward and prudish beliefs, but have no issue parading its own agenda and beliefs loudly…and even oppress and ostracize anyone opposing them.
There’s a concept in computing of “garbage in, garbage out” that simply means poor input will produce poor output. In the above verse, Jesus speaks of the spiritual output of a man. While we cannot control what the world bombards us with, if we immerse ourselves too much in it, it can change us…distance us farther and farther from the Lord…and eventually affect our output.
Like Ms. Grant, we can live a life of conviction, and make God known in how we choose to live–and not live–our lives. We can live unashamed of the gospel, just as the world aggressively lives unashamed in our faces. And we can love the world unconditionally as it hates us, making His great name known.
Today’s soundtrack
Natalie Grant’s “Your Great Name” unashamedly spreads the Good News.
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