by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
“If you can’t do that without also doing this, then don’t do that.” Here is a principle that many parents invoke when they are raising their children, and it applies to multiple activities – activities that are not in themselves wrong. Yet if those activities become the vehicles by which we do wrong, then we need to rethink those activities and, in some cases, cease them altogether.<\/p>\n
When children are smaller, it might as simple as: “If you can’t play quietly without screaming and running, then you won’t be able to play.” There’s always a context to that, of course. There’s nothing wrong with running and playing, but we told our kids that if they can’t play gently and quietly after services without running (in the building so as to knock into an older person, or in the parking lot where a car might hit them), then they would have to sit. Self-control is the discipline here, and we need to teach our children to have it.<\/p>\n
The self-control principle continues into adulthood, but with more serious implications. If you can’t root for a sports team without cursing your neighbors because they like a different team, then you need to rethink your involvement in that. Perhaps even harder for many is this: if you can’t engage in political activities or discussions without falling into malicious and evil behavior, then stay out of it. If involving yourself in political discussion and action entails, for you, anger, bitterness, gossip, evil suspicions, and so on, then get away from it until you learn how to control yourself, deny yourself, and submit yourself to the Lord. Cut out those areas that are a problem for you.<\/p>\n
There’s nothing wrong with rooting for a sports team or forms of political activity in themselves, but if engagement for us entails acting and speaking in ways that are ungodly, then it’s far better to stay away. Does that sound extreme? Well, recall what Jesus said about the same basic principle:<\/p>\n
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell<\/em>” (Matthew 5:29-30).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There’s nothing wrong with using your eyes or hands, but if they become vehicles of lust and evil, then we better take the radical steps to do what is right. “But that’s hyperbole.” Ok, but do we get the point? Do we get the application? Take whatever steps are necessary to cut out those things that keep us from the eternal kingdom. Nothing is worth selling your soul over.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Doy Moyer “If you can’t do that without also doing this, then don’t do that.” Here is a principle that many parents invoke when they are raising their children, and it applies to multiple activities – activities that are not in themselves wrong. Yet if those activities become the vehicles by which we do…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[811,1430],"class_list":["post-51196","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-self-control","tag-self-discipline"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":54505,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/some-things-i-want-to-teach-my-children\/","url_meta":{"origin":51196,"position":0},"title":"Some Things I Want to Teach My Children","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bill Hall \"And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord\" (Ephesians 6:4). In keeping with the instruction of this passage, there are certain things that I want to teach my children. Reverence I want to teach\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53950,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-attend-events-where-people-might-be-drinking-or-smoking\/","url_meta":{"origin":51196,"position":1},"title":"Is it wrong to attend events where people might be drinking or smoking?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have had some best friends since my school days, years ago. I am the only person among them who is baptized. We all meet twice a year and during that meeting they all drink and smoke. I don't drink or smoke since I was baptized. They are all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32488,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/parental-abdication\/","url_meta":{"origin":51196,"position":2},"title":"Parental Abdication","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant There are many things that tend to discourage and dishearten those who are striving to teach others, but few things can do the job more effectively than when members allow their children to put school activities and\/or selfish desires first in their lives. We wonder if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69767,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-a-church-organize-social-activities\/","url_meta":{"origin":51196,"position":3},"title":"Should a church organize social activities?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been a Christian for nearly 40 years and recently became a member of a new congregation after moving. One of the initial impressions is the focus among the brethren about various social activities. Card playing clubs, baseball outings, book clubs, etc. Some of these are promoted from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16846,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-go-to-a-show-and-sing-along-with-the-hymns-that-are-being-sung-with-instrumental-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":51196,"position":4},"title":"Can I go to a show and sing along with the hymns that are being sung with instrumental music?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can I go to a bluegrass show and sing along with hymns that are being sung with instrumental music? Can I play and sing hymns at home with instruments? Answer: When something is offered up to God, then it ought to be done in the manner in which God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88150,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-family-meal\/","url_meta":{"origin":51196,"position":5},"title":"The Family Meal","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by L. A. Stauffer via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 Much has been said in our times by psychiatrists and family experts about bonding between parents and children. Fathers and mothers are told to hold, hug, rock, and talk with their children in the very first hours and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51196","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51196\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}