Valentines Day Special

So its Valentines Day and most likely and I'm just guessing here, your church dealt with some aspect of love today. So me being my normal self will try not to deviate from love to much. So in Trinidad we are in the height of the carnival season and for those non Trinbagonians its a season of revelry and partying in our country. Not a place for children of God. And as much as young people try to justify why they go and participate in these activities, they are still wrong. Nothing Luke warm about it.
Ending our Carnival season this year will be non other than international artiste Beyonce. Even though some young christian young people wont take part in the actual activities of carnival, they will be at that show. Reasons like its just music and it isn't a party come up. I am not even going into the demonic symbolism's that appear in her songs, pictures and music videos. I am simply going to deal with the facts.
A pastor at one of our chapel services said something that always stays with me. He said to test if what you are doing is right or wrong ask yourself this question. 'Can I pray before it, through it and after it'. Can we really go to a show like that with all the knowledge that we have and be comfortable. If so then you need to check yourself.
As a musician I respect her talent. Beyonce is an excellent musician, writer and performer. And many a times i reflect and think if she was doing for Jesus how many souls she would have won. And we may say this is just on thing we are doing for ourselves. We live as God would want us to all the time so why would he not want me to go enjoy myself. A good friend once told me that life is too short to do what you want to do. God is no longer playing young people. Its either you're sold out for him or you're in the world. And the bible says that we are in the world and not of the world. We are suppose to influence and not be influenced.
What really gets to me about this is that unbelievers know where we should and should not be. They also know what we as christian should and should not be doing. When they see us at these shows and parties they believe two things. The first is that the church is full of hypocrites. We preach one thing and do another. And the second is that if we can do it they can do it to. So they adapt a superficial Christianity because we believe that we can get away with what we do.
First Corinthians Chapter 8 verse 9 reads "But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak." (KJV)
The NIV says Be careful that the exercises of your freedom become a stumbling block to the weak. WOW! We are warned that even though you may see nothing wrong with a song you sing, or an outfit you wear, or the way you behave, It may become a stumbling block to the weak.
My encouragement today is simply that. Be careful of what you do, say and how you behave. I know You do not want to become a stumbling block to the weak.