but test them all; hold on to what is good... (NIV)

When a verse begins with “but,” I need to look at the verse before it to know the connection. In the previous verse, Paul instructs the Thessalonians not to “treat prophecies with contempt,” which means to value messages and teachings that come from the Spirit, whether these be through the gift of prophecy, preaching the Word, or teaching in the church. Then, our focus verse follows with instructions to test all prophecies for validity and accept only those which are good. Another look at our focus verse reveals a comma at the end, so I need to look at the next verse, which says to “reject every kind of evil.”  

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In summary of these three verses, I conclude that we should be critical thinkers to test everything and to only accept and embrace that which is good. How can something pass this test? If it firmly aligns with God’s Word while embracing the truth and love of God, then it passes! Philippians 4:8 provides parameters for what is good with the following descriptors: true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and commendable.  

What I listen to is one of the things that I consistently test! I have always enjoyed music, whether it be playing the piano, singing in a youth choir, or just singing songs. Worship music energizes me as I embrace the words and music to become absorbed in His presence. At a young age, I was fortunate to improve my listening skills with music.

I will never forget my sixth-grade team of teachers who challenged me and let me explore learning through many types of experiences. One of those experiences was listening to the lyrics of songs to transcribe them. It sounds easy, but you should try it without the assistance of Google! I had to put on poor-quality headphones, insert a cassette tape into the player, push play, and begin to write down the lyrics. I pushed rewind and play many, many, many times to catch each word. It took me hours to finish one song, but I gained strong listening skills, and I will never forget the words to “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel! Yes, that dates me, but it is a classic that has since been sung by many artists, so I think many of you will be familiar with it. Art Garfunkel perfectly summed up the lyrics when he said, “This is a song about the inability of people to communicate with each other.” I didn’t understand that in sixth grade, but if I read it today, I would be curious to listen to this song’s ideas about communication and test them since communication is such a big issue in today’s world.

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Fast forward a few decades when I started listening to the music that my pre-teens were choosing. When they changed the radio station in the car, I listened and would ask them if they knew the words that had just been sung. Most of the time the answer was no, but they liked the beats in the music. Ouch! I did not want them exposed to some of those words and ideas, even if the music had a good beat. I wanted them to develop better judgment about what songs they chose to listen to because I did not want their heads and hearts to be full of evil words and ideas. I wanted them to test the lyrics of songs and choose to listen to those that are good in the eyes of Jesus, which meant I continually prayed for clean, good lyrics to enter their ears.

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Music might seem low on a list of what we should test, but I don’t think so, since we are to test everything! I still test whatever I listen to because what enters my mind and heart is so important. Listening to wrong words and voices can cripple and immobilize anyone. If there is evil in our minds from anything, we need to reject it and pray for God to clean it out and give us a clean heart. Every day, invite Him to help you test all areas of your life to embrace and hold tightly to the good. If you are listening to affirming, life-giving, hope-filled messages, you will be better able to hear His voice and what He wants for you. I urge you to ask yourself and pray about what you need to test.

Abba, I thank you for giving me instructions for testing and discerning what is good. Please bring awareness to any areas in my life that I need to test. Give me the desire and determination to follow through with holding onto good and rejecting evil. You are good and You want good for me! I love You. In Jesus’ holy and pure name, amen.