Monday, December 28, 2015
Modern Technology has afforded us some advantages and conveniences most of us never dreamed would ever become a reality. In fact, were it not for computers I would not be able to write a blog like this one, and because I never learned how to do it the correct way, when I write I have to be constantly looking at the keyboard. If my PC worked like the old typewriters, it would take me all day to write a blog article that today occupies me for an hour or two, not to mention that I would keep the manufacturers of “white out” in business. Other than computers and smart phones, the electronic age has mostly passed me by, and I know very little about many of these devices. However, one thing I have learned about I Pads and other gadgets is that folks can get too attached and dependent on them. It seems to me that, in most cases, they don’t have the gadgets; the gadgets have them. But because of their usefulness and convenience, I will not go so far as to say that they are “gadgets of destruction”; I’ll settle for “gadgets of distraction.”
We often hear people talk about the “quality time” they spent with their family or friends but if during this time they constantly played with an electronic contraption, it was by no means “quality.” Not only do family members and friends often get robbed of some meaningful “get together” time, especially the older generation, I have seen this waste of valuable time in church as well. Members who arrive early for a service, who have an opportunity to go sit down and chat with a church family member, read their bibles, meditate, or spend some valuable altar time, often waste this time because they just have to play with their gadget of preference. Think about this: Can keeping playing a game or keeping in touch with the world, your favorite website, or your Facebook friends be more important than the things I mentioned previously, and can they not be used at our time and not the Lord’s? If smart phones, I Pads, and the like are used to read, research, or study the Bible, they have a place in church; otherwise they don’t.
I confess that the few times I have forgotten to take my smart phone with me when I leave the house, my first reaction was one of panic. That is why I am very careful not to point the finger at those who seem incapable of existing without their electronic devices. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that I can get along quite well without my smart phone just like I used to before they were invented. Jesus reminded His Disciples one day: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) No one else can make that statement and that includes our electronic gadgets. We can do without them, but we certainly cannot do without Christ. Lets use our electronic instruments to our advantage but lets not permit them to control and dominate our lives.
Memory verse for the week: (Romans 12:15) “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
