We no longer live in a world where we are persecuted for believing in God. Yet so many of my friends' think that by stating that they're not afraid to admit their beliefs on social media is some huge proclamation. It's not.
So many people, especially around my age, think that posting scriptures or the afore mentioned proclamation makes them a better Christian. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn't.
Within the last 5 years or so, social media has skyrocketed. I myself am a "slave" to numerous social media platforms. While I've posted the occasional scripture on Twitter or Facebook, it was always meant more for me. A digital affirmation, if you will.
What I don't understand is the connection between social media and God. I don't think that when I'm standing before God on judgement day and He asks me about all the good things I've done in my life, telling him I retweeted or liked every tweet or status that was Christ-focused will be an acceptable answer.
So far in my 24 years of existence, I've participated in various church activities, mission trips with youth groups, and my favorite, spending a year in China as a missionary. I hope that these minute things I've done so far in my life will help put a small dent in the huge list of mistakes that I've made (and will make until my last breath).
Preachers always talk about getting to heaven and doing things in order to reach salvation. Call me cynical, but I prefer to, metaphorically, think that my soul is in hell and I need to be doing everything I can to ensure a ticket out of there. When you think of it in terms like that, I feel that it puts a fire under people's pants (excuse my pun) to actively try to be Christ-like. We as humans like to always excuse our shortcomings and reason with ourselves the mistakes we have made. That's especially easy to do if we all think we're guaranteed a spot in heaven! If I'm in the mindset that I'm going to go to heaven, it's easy to convince myself that lying won't send me to hell. But if I think that I'm already destined to eternal damnation, that lying problem is of a greater magnitude and definitely won't ensure that one spot closer to heaven.
Who all has ever had a situation where you confided in someone and was judged for it? But then you find out later that this same person did something worse, in your eyes? Hypocrisy aside, it's rather maddening. But God conveys in James 2:10, 12-14 that no sin is less or greater in His eyes; that they're all the same. Definitely puts things in perspective. It's hard to think that lying is the same as murder in God's eyes because in our society's judicial system, there's varying degrees of punishment depending upon the crime that was committed. While that works fine and good for keeping our society in check, it doesn't really help the hypocrisy factor that so many believers find themselves in.
I came across a quote on Pinterest that says "Don't judge me because my sin is different than yours." To me, that is just so powerful. I have been guilty of that SO many times! Have you? It gets really easy to point fingers at each other. Like it says in Matthew 7:3-5, take the plank out of your own eye before you point at the speck in mine. Funny how these quotes that float around the Internet are so similar to scripture.
Whoever is reading this, I urge you to not only "talk the talk", but "walk the walk". If part of your own personal ministry is posting scripture on Twitter or Facebook in hopes that it will be uplifting to others, then great! A dear friend of mine lives and breaths the word of God in her day to day life, so when she posts scriptures or uplifting quotes, it's just a digital extension of who is she.
Nothing drives me up the wall more than someone who pretends to be a good person, but does bad things in the shadows. I would rather a person be terrible to me, than someone be nice to my face and then talk about me behind my back. At least the person who is being terrible to me is being honest!
Go out into the world and make a difference. Hold a devotional on your hall or with your friends. Take part in a mission trip. Help out with your local church. Do SOMETHING to impact someone other than yourself. Don't be a "pew warmer" and do things in order to check things off your spiritual check list. Be intentional with everything you do.
My favorite Christian author, Shane Claiborne says in "The Irresistible Revolution", "Most good things have even said far too many times and just need to be lived." I really feel that sums up everything I've been trying to convey in one simple sentence.
Remember, your life may be the only bible some people read.
