1 Corinthians 6
Freedom From Binging!
Have you spent any quiet time with God lately?
To binge is “to indulge in an activity… to excess” (dictionary). This term is popularly used for how many people do media consumption—watching countless hours of shows at a time to complete whole seasons in short order; we call this “binge-watching.”
I had someone say to me recently that there is less than 5 seconds between one show ending and the next beginning. Why? Because they know that the average attention span of their younger viewing audience is that of a goldfish, which is about 9 seconds. They want to grab you before something else gets your attention.
Paul addresses the entire church in a multi-chapter dialogue about church discipline and the damaging effects of sin, but the principles he give us apply to how we personally live our lives. Listen to one of these principles from 1 Corinthians 6:12, “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.”
Paul addresses food and sex in these verses. Why is Paul dealing with such personal issues in our lives? Because God cares about our sensuality and what is competing for our attention. He cares about what we binge on because, as Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, our bodies are the Temple of the Holy Spirit.
What dominates your mind’s thoughts, your heart’s desires, and your body’s neediness? I encourage you to take 15 minutes today, turn off all gadgets and sounds and just listen to where your mind goes, to what your heart feels, and what your soul yearns for. What is distracting you from focusing on God’s Word and Spirit?
Seize the moment and be quiet before God. Invite God into these places. Be free from that which seeks to dominate and distract you from God.