I’ll be quoting John Piper here.

“People who are content with the avoidance ethic generally ask the wrong question about behaviour. They ast, What’s wrong with it? What’s wrong with this movie? Or music? Or this game? Or these companions? Or this way of relaxing? Or this investment? Or this restaurant? Or shopping at this store? What’s wrong with going to the cabin every weekend? Or having a cabin? This kind of question will rarely yield a lifestyle that commends Christ as all-satisfying and makes people glad in God. It simply results in a list of don’ts. It feeds the avoidance ethic. The better questions to ask about possible behaviours is: How will this help me treasure Christ more? How will it help me show that I do treasure Christ? How will it help me know Christ or display Christ?”

“Oh, how many lives are wasted by people who believe that the Christian life means simply avoiding badness and providing for the family. So there is no adultery, no stealing, no killing, no embezzlement, no fraud - just lots of hard work during the day, and lots of TV and PG-13 videos in the evening (during quality family time), and lots of fun stuff on the weekend - woven around church (mostly). This is life for millions of people. Wasted life. We were created for more, far more.”

“No one will ever want to say to the Lord of the universe five minutes after death, I spent every night playing games and watching TV with my family because I love them so much. I think the Lord will say, “That did not make me look like a treasure in your town. You should have done something besides provide for yourself and your family. And TV, as you should have known, was not a good way to nurture your family or your own soul.”

It’s kinda easy to just “slip” in the routine and enjoy our little ways and the leisure and being entertained by TV or the Internet or phone or good times with people we love. That’s the easy way. But Jesus says that loving those who love us is easy, even bad people do that. We don’t deserve any reward for loving those we naturally love. There is more to life than ourselves. It’s not just about me getting food for myself and my family or money for my studies. It’s not just about me relaxing from the hard work I’ve done and enjoying friends and family. This for sure has its proper place in our lives. But I don’t think that the life of a Christian should be characterized by the simple avoidance of what’s bad. Plenty of unbelievers do a better job than Christians at avoiding evil and leading peaceful lives. Jesus talks about a narrow road, a cross to bear, a self to deny. Paul speaks of beating his body and making it his slave, of working to provide for those in need. I don’t know, it seems that my life is consumed with entertainment. It’s costly to pray or read or write or call or help or go instead of doing little things for myself.