Six Words Helpful for Determining Whether the Music You're Listening to is “Good” for You

Bob Kauflin writes:

Here are six words I’ve found helpful for determining whether the music I’m listening to is “good” for me.

1. Humility (Prov. 19:20)
   Humility in the area of music means being willing to invite the counsel of those around you who are mature into your music choices. If you’re living at home, that means involving your parents. If you’re an adult, that means getting input from those who are spiritually mature and know you best. Listening to music is a privilege to be stewarded.
2. Content (Phil. 4:8)
   If we listen regularly to ungodly lyrics, it’s only a matter of time until we become dull to sin or drawn by sin. Some Christians say they don’t know what songs are saying. If we don’t listen to what’s being said, why don’t we find out? Christians, more than anyone, should know what the songs we listen to are communicating (James 3:8-10). It’s a blatant contradiction if we sing songs on Sunday that proclaim the Savior’s death for our sins and then fill our minds during the week with songs that idolize the sins that put him there.
3. Associations (Prov. 22:3)
   Because music can’t be held, touched, or seen, it tends to associate itself with the things that surround it: friends, concerts, clubs, radio stations, videos, websites, other artists. Even “neutral” songs can lead us to contexts that tempt us in a variety of ways.
4. Time (Prov. 13:20)
   Listening to music excessively can be a sign of idolatry--seeking to find satisfaction in something other than God. Also, the more time we spend listening to music, the more it becomes a friend that will affect us. Is your music a wise friend or a fool?
5. Fruit (Prov. 14:14)
   What kind of emotions does the music you listen to produce in you? How does it affect your relationships with others? What effect does it have on your attitudes, perspectives, and appearance? Is there any attempt to deceive others about the music you listen to?
6. Conversion (2 Cor. 13:5)
   An ongoing pattern of sin in the area of music could reveal that an individual has never been regenerated. Only a true worshiper of Jesus can appreciate music the way God intended it to be appreciated – not as an idol, but as a gift.

HT: Next