How close, not how far

This week i am not going to talk about politics, instead i want to talk about a growing trend among Christians these days, one which i am guilty of as well. The trend is this, for many Christians these days, the question that they ask themselves when it comes to making decisions is, "how much can i get away with before i fall over the edge?" Now let me explain exactly what i mean by this. They ask themselves, whats wrong with the movies and TV shows i watch?I am not actually partaking in these sins myself. Or, why shouldn't i go to this party, it's not like I'm going to do anything bad at it. Basically what they are saying is, if there is nothing "technically" wrong with it, and as long as I'm not doing it myself, than what's the problem with it.

Philippians 4:8 says: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Folks, the question should not be how far can i get away from the bulls eye, which is Jesus and His Word, but the question should be, how close can i get to it. Well sure i may not be actually committing any of the acts that are going on in this film, or, well of course i would never be committing the sinful acts that others are caring on at this party. But does that really matter, does the Lord not judge our hearts and our minds as well as our actions? We should ask ourselves, is there anything good or wholesome in this film? Is there anything honorable going on at this party?
Why do we always race to the question of whether we can technically get away with it and justify it to ourselves in our minds? The obvious reason is sin, but it goes deeper than that. We get to that point when we are no longer delving into God's word on a daily basis, when the Word of God is no longer our water and bread, our source of life. If we were to look at the life of Paul, did he sit and wonder what he could get away with? NO, he was asking himself what he could do to get closer to God. In closing, i know i am far from perfect on this issue, but let us all start afresh and shoot for the bulls eye, not the outer ring.