Most mornings while reading my One-Year Bible I have the cable TV channel playing that broadcasts Christian music while displaying rotating photos.
On some of these photos are overlaid advertisements. Most are promoting the service that is providing the music.
Today included an exception, however, that I wasn’t expecting.
While a smooth song by a female artist described the gift of Christ’s birth played, the advertisement visually blaring on the screen was calling for people to call a “Cash for Gold” business to get the top dollar for any gold they wanted to sell.
The advertisement, of course, was presented as a bar of gold with “CALL NOW” text.
Talk about out of place!
I was enjoying the sweet message about the greatest gift the world had ever received, something with a worth beyond measuring, and then I looked up and saw this gold bar encouraging me to trade gold for cash.
You can be sure that I wouldn’t have placed such an ad on this Christian music site.
I wouldn’t want to have any part in sending mixed signals to people about my Christian motives.
Yes, I know that there is nothing illegal about “We buy gold” advertisements on Christian music sites, or any other Christian site, for that matter.
Some Christians have gold that they’d rather trade for money and if such a choice helps them to better manage their financial resources, then that’s OK.
It’s just the “how” and “where” of today’s advertisement that seemed out of place to me.
I pray that I was the only one who was bothered by this advertisement.
I pray that any non-Christians watching the Christian music channel weren’t left with confusion about the music service’s motives for the Kingdom.
No, the music/photo station on the TV was not a church service.
And, no, it’s not like the advertisement was on the projection screen during congregational worship time.
But it still left me with the sort of feeling as if it had been.
This experience has reminded me of how important it is to test our actions not only against our comfort zone but also against how other Christians might perceive them, against how non-Christians might perceive them and, MOST importantly, how God perceives them.
There are countless choices that we face during our lives and even more variables when we consider all those whom we must consider when we decide how to speak or how to act or how to advertise or with whom we choose to associate.
If we are to have any hope of reliably making the right choices that point confirm our faith in the eyes of others rather than confuse them, we need simple, core principles, I’m convinced.
That’s why I am so very glad for Colossians 3:17 and for Proverbs 11:14.
They keep me focused on choices that point my motives and actions in the right direction.
“Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all for the glory of God.”
“For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.”
I encourage you to avoid trusting your own opinion about the appropriateness of your choices when there is any association of business and spiritual interests.
It is much better when we prayerfully consider if our potential choice might send mixed signals to others about our motives.
Check every motive and action against the Kingdom purposes and then ask a trusted, mature Christian for his or her opinion.
No matter how much financial benefit might come from a mixed-motives choice, it will never compensate for the “Why did you do that?” question from God when we stand before Him.
As always, I love you
Martin
