It seems to me that periodically we need to have times of self-reflection and interrogation where we ask this question. Has anything in my life, even a good blessing from the Lord, become more important to me than the place God intended it to have? Paul says in 1 Cor. 6:12, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” Whether it has to do with food (as in 1 Cor. 6) or other appetites, all things must be kept in balance.

For me, each year I spend a month doing some probing to see if television (or any sort of enjoyable media) has become too important. I don’t want media to be my source of joy – I want that to come from the Lord. Sure, a good show can be entertaining, and there is nothing “wrong” with that, as long as it does not become too important.

So I take a month off entertainment through media. I use this time to check my heart. Am I still just as happy, just as content, just as joyful, or has TV begun to “master” me? I have found it is an important annual check-up time. I certainly don’t want to be legalistic, or impose this on other people. But I do commend to you the process of going through periodic self-investigation times. Has your car, your house, your TV, your tech device, your hobby, even your career, anything… has it become too important, where if it is taken away, your joy is lost, and it has begun to master you?

I hope you find the process of renewing your first love for the Lord to be as enjoyable as I do. Releasing the good, nice, fun things of this life to recalibrate and return to that which is most essential is so healthy for us. Ultimately, all these are blessings from the Lord, and are meant for our good in service to Him. Keeping this perspective is incredibly freeing.

Pressing on, Eric