Not Worth Listening To

by Zeke Flores

There are some things that are not worth wasting the time to listen to. For me, that would be rap or any new "pop" song. Or most political drivel. Or false religious teaching.

Jesus said, "Take care what you listen to" (Mark 4:24). In Luke's gospel, He says, "Take care how you listen" (Luke 8:18). While the application is usually made to religious teaching, it should be expanded further. Sure, we need to be careful about what we hear as far as religious teaching, but we should also heed what we hear musically. I like rock & roll but the lyrics have gotten more and more offensive. More than a few artists whose music I really like have been banished from my playlist. Of course, the same goes for TV, movies, magazines, or books. Certain authors I used to really enjoy have resorted to using language that's unneeded, considering their talents.

We could even apply that to some conversations we have with other people. Sometimes conversations drift from meaningful discussion to useless babble. Worse, it can devolve into gossip and slander which does no good for anyone; not the hearer, the speaker, and certainly not for the talked-about person.

As Jesus said, we need to be careful about what and how we hear.

"I will set no worthless thing before my eyes" (Psalms 101:3) and ears!