In the past years, I have become alarmed by the increase of the number of young people who play video games. Many young people have purchased Playstations or X-box’s, devises that are strictly for the purpose of gaming.
In recent weeks, I have heard that a new game has come out, “Black Ops” which is the newest version of the game “Call of Duty”, a game in which war is waged, by the gamer, against all sorts of villains, in different settings all over the world. This is a game with very graphic images of murder and destruction. Blood splatters, bodies are maimed, cursing and taking the Lord’s name in vain is common. God-dishonoring music is played in the background all to set the tempo for the bloodbath that the gamer is inflicting on its enemies. What a sadness when we hear that this so readily happens in the homes of our young people?
What an easy but dangerous path for our families to follow. We buy a simple game for our computer, just to play in our spare time. Soon you get a gaming devise, then games with a little music, then violence, then murdering games, graphic images, sexual themes, how can you stop now? The devil now has another venue to distract you and ease you into worldly ideas and away from God’s truth. What a pity that we are such willing followers. Maybe you say is it really that bad? I hope that I may explain to you why exactly that we as a people should have no part in these evil games with three major reasons. 1.) They eat our time with no spiritual or intellectual result 2.) The messages sent by the games are unbiblical 3). The games soon become an idol, and there are more!
Playing till the wee hours of the morning is nothing new for a serious gamer, but to ask them to stay awake in school or more importantly in church is too much to ask. In Psalm 90 our years are compared to grass which flourisheth in the morning and in the evening is “cut down, and withereth.” If we are here for such a short time is gaming the way we want to spend our time. The Lord Jesus gave us commandment in Matthew 6: 33 to “seek ye first the kingdom of heaven”. Oh that we would spend our time seeking for the kingdom of heaven rather than enjoyment from such a senseless waste of our precious time. Soon we come to the end our life and then we have to give account for all our time. What will we say to the Judge of Heaven and Earth about that time in front of the screen?
The murdering and killing that takes place in games accustoms us that life is nothing. If a villain is in the way, kill him. The soul is not thought of. No grief is shown, no respect for the deceased. We become more and more like the world where death has become just a passage. Think of days gone by when our forefathers wore black clothing for months, out of respect for the death of a family member. How would they weep if they saw how casual death is treated by our young people? But it is just a video game you say. Be very careful, these hours harden you, and soon you become the same way as the character you play, no feeling, no respect, not even for your parents, siblings, teachers, or worst of all the service of the Lord. No you are something, you are powerful! This attitude was already seen in Paradise when the devil convinced Adam and Eve that they were wise enough to make their own decisions. I fear the devil is also succeeding once again in this way and this attitude is seen in our homes, schools and churches. The same mentality is taught in most video games. The author also experienced this. He was addicted to sports video games and would play for hours till he became “unconquerable.” This mentality goes directly against God’s Word, where we read of a people, who become nothing, so Christ can become everything. We read of a people who are “meek”, “poor”, and who “mourn”- Matthew 5. Dear reader, we cannot be lax about these things. Notice in the parable of the ten virgins that it was the five virgins who had sought for oil that entered in with the bridegroom, but those who had not sought were excluded. O young people bow your knees and beg the Lord that you may become like those wise virgins who “redeemed the time”.
How many hours have been sacrificed, by our young people, in front of a screen? But, on the other hand, how often do we see their places empty in church. They spend money on these games, but what about tithing for the service of the Lord. It was no problem to drive miles, and stand in line in the middle of the week, but to attend a mid-week church service is asking too much? Then I am afraid that we make an idol out of these games. And what does this idol do for you? Do you receive true happiness from it? O young people let us not follow so blindly after the world, but let us “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord”. We are instructed here to be separate from our worldly fellow travelers to eternity, but alas, so often it is hard to see the difference. There is a precious promise for those who do live this “separate life” in truth. “And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall by my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” II Corinthians 6: 17- 18. This is so much sweeter, than any satisfaction that can be gained from your video games. If you may experience that He has become a Father unto then you have received everything, and the things of this world have no longer any value. Dear Reader bow your knees and ask the Lord, who is faithful, to give that you may leave these worldly things behind and seek for those things that “moth and rust” cannot corrupt-Matthew 6: 19.
