Here are some thoughts about goofing around that we should consider.
Matthew 12:36-37 - "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
2 Timothy 2:16 - "But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness"
Here's a thought about Proverbs 26:19 which says, "Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!”"
I know that the primary meaning is someone who is like the man in Proverbs 6:12-13, "A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech, winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger." That is, clearly v26:19 describes that God's Spirit opposes being deceptive and hiding under the cloak of "just kidding." But often I feel like it applies to other kinds of joking as well.
What value are we getting from all of these goofy modern forms of humor, ranging from media to daily verbal "horsing around"? Look at what it masks, if you let into your life more and more. I might laugh at clever webcomics or Youtubers, but I then look the other way when they blaspheme the God that gave them their very chance at life. No more; I'm done.
I'm even finding schadenfreude (e.g. failblog) humor convicting under Proverbs 17:5 - "Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished."
I know that this is a heavy word in a way. People, Christians included, like diversion, levity, jolliness, etc. But these are dark times, and this is another flavor of dissipation. Let's spend less time chuckling and more time seeking God.
Focusing in...(Edit)
"Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving." Ephesians 5:4
"I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me." Psalm 101:3
"Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." Proverbs 4:23 (Amplified Bible)
"Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light." Luke 11:34-36
"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Colossians 3:2
Lookit.(Edit)
