Commercial Appeal

Guys, imagine yourself surrounded by your friends. Everyone is laughing and having a great time. Girls are constantly coming up to you, talking to you, and being nice to you. Everything seems great, even down to your brand new sports car. Girls, imagine that you are surrounded by guys who adore you. You are having a wonderful time; giggles fill the air. Sounds nice, right? Sounds like a dream, right? According to some advertisements, that is exactly what will happen to you if you drink beer or smoke cigarettes.

Certain commercials are very misleading, especially beer commercials. They use immodestly dressed women to sell beer, trying to make you think that if you drink their beer then everything will go well for you. People will surround you and think you are the coolest person on Earth. You will drive a cool car. "Fun" vacations to the beach are normal for people who drink beer—according to the commercials.

These people do not show us the real effects of their product. People who drink are not happy, wealthy, or blessed because they drink. Rather, many are unhealthy, poor, and very sad. We need to know what is real and what is not, when watching commercials. When Jesus sent out the apostles to teach the Jews, He said: "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). We must be wise enough to separate the truth from the lies. What we see in the commercials often is not what really happens, so we must not let the beautiful women, the handsome guys, the fast cars, or the illusion of happiness, fool us into doing what we know is wrong.

Sometimes advertisements make us think that everyone is drinking or smoking, so we should, too. As Christians, we have been commanded to leave the crowd, and not do what everyone else does: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). As a special people, we cannot simply do what everybody else does—we must do what God wants us to do. Instead of conforming to the world, we must transform ourselves into God's good, faithful children (Romans 12:2). And, as we go through life, let us not be fooled by lies in commercials.

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