The Next
“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matt 18:5-6 (ESV)
Recently, I was listening to a local radio station here in Central Florida that has been promoting for quite some time the value of listening to their musical content. In their attempt to set themselves apart from other broadcasts in the area, they advertise “positive hits” and “safe for the little ears.” At the time the “jingle” played through and they queued up the next song, I thought of the above scripture quoted by Christ himself.
It wasn’t that the song was offensive, or that it was “safe” for your kids to hear, but the content of the message, while also claiming to be positive, was not very good. Not everything that looks or sounds “good”, is, nor is the word positive a righteous term in the believers life. In fact, I listened to the whole song and realized how empty and generic the content was, not only for adults, but I kept thinking, “How would I explain this mediocre music to my grandchildren if they were to ask me about it?”
Today, while you are out and about and when tuning in your radio, if your kids are with you, consider WHAT you are listening to, because those “little ears” are going to sing along right with you, even if the message is incorrect or has “lazy” lyrics. I’m not suggesting the “millstone” result that Christ used in the parable, but realize that we are responsible for this next generation and their understanding of the Kingdom of Christ, and then they will pass that on to their kids.