Social Media: Finding a Balance

In the last post we looked at how social media can be a substitute for action. But more than that, it can be a substitute for real relationships as well. We also looked at the danger that it can lend itself to hypocrisy in our lives, as well as encouraging the fear of man. In this post we will wrap things up by looking at four final dangers of social media that can affect our lives if we are not careful.  

• Ø  Discontentment

¨       As we browse through hundreds of profiles of people that we know, we are being fed a lot of information at one time. We see somebody’s new car, and somebody else’s new house. My running shoes are fine but I just saw so and so post a picture of their brand new shoes…maybe I need some new ones! We also see other people doing things in life that we wish we could. So and so is getting married, yet God hasn’t brought that special someone into your life yet. The list is endless. With this constant barrage of information about what others are doing, it is very easy for us to become discontent. But what does the Bible say?

 

¨       Phil 4:11-13“¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

 

¨       While there is nothing wrong with having an idea of what’s going on in the lives of friends and family, we must be extra careful with the advent of social media that we do not allow discontentment to creep in. we must learn, as Paul learned, to be content in any situation.

 

• Ø  Depth of Thought

¨       As a result of social media, TV, texting and the like, we live in an age of soundbites. We no longer strive to study things out for ourselves, but rather if its written, we want it in 140 characters or less…and if its audiovisual, we want it is 60 seconds or less. We want information to be as condensed as possible rather than doing the work to really study things out for ourselves. If we live our lives in the shallowness of soundbites, we run the risk of dulling our minds to the point where it is easier to be tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. But what does the Bible say:

 

¨       1Tim 4:15-16“¹⁵ Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. ¹⁶ Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ^[g]ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

 

 

¨       This passage shows that we are to be absorbed in God’s Word, sharpening our minds so that all those around us are able to see our growth. We are to pay close attention to BOTH our lifestyles and our teaching. This requires great depth of thought. We are waging spiritual warfare! We cannot afford to allow our minds to become dulled.

 

• Ø  Time Waster

¨       This is probably one of the most widespread pitfalls. I can think of countless times where I have wasted hours just looking up videos on youtube, or reading articles on news websites or looking to see what random friends and family members are up to. I have thought on many occasions: “wow, I just wasted several hours that I could have used to do something much more productive!” but what does the Bible say?

 

¨       Eph 5:15-16“¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

 

¨       We need to be so careful that we are making the best use of our time, whether it be with social media or in other areas of our lives. I hear the excuse made by some: “so and so has a medical condition where they can’t get out much”. Perhaps, but there are far more productive things that they can be doing than hours on Facebook…what an incredible opportunity they have to minister to others…make clothes for little ones, cook a meal for other shut ins, the opportunities are  many.

 

• Ø  Triviality

¨       This final concern is similar to both “Depth of Thought” and that of “Time Wasting”. Yet another problem that social media can lend itself to is that of triviality. Because of the lack depth in much of what is said and posted through this medium, it can be so easy if we are not careful, to get caught up in that which is of little worth. But what does the Bible say?

 

¨       Ps 119:36-38 “³⁶ Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! ³⁷ Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. ³⁸ Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.”

 

¨       We should have the same desire as the psalmist, asking God to turn our eyes from worthless things, and on to delighting in what matters most…God and his ways. Not all that comes through social media is trivial and worthless…but let’s not get caught up in that which is.

 

Social media can be wonderful in many ways. It gives us a wonderful opportunity to pray for and rejoice with friends and family whom we are not able to have much contact with otherwise due to distance. But we must be very mindful through it all. Spiritual warfare is very real. The enemy is always looking a way to get into our lives and destroy us.

As we continue in our social media endeavors, let us remember that biblical principles about the tongue still apply here. Also, let us continue to evaluate our motives…so that we are seeking to elevate Christ, and not ourselves. What are some ways that you have found helpful in maintaining a proper focus or a healthy balance when it comes to social media? Please feel free to leave a comment telling us how!

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Face Reality Instead of Facebook!

 

When you read this title you might have thought that I’m against Facebook and other forms of social media but in reality, that is not the case. However, there are definitely some dangers that we need to be aware of as we spend time in the world of status updates and video clips.

In the last post we looked at some problems such as complaining on Facebook, promoting ourselves and sharing opinions. In this post we will discuss problems relating to how social media can pull us out of the real world and cause us to get wrapped up in a “virtual” world.

 

• Ø  Substitute for Action

¨       In the last post we looked at sharing opinions. We all have them, whether they are about political, social or theological issues. It can be so easy to post something that expresses our belief about something…but not actually go out into the world and do something about it. We can gripe online about policies and bills being passed in congress, but then we never do anything about it. Or worse…we may post a scripture verse every once in a while and never actually go out and share our faith with people. We feel as if we are “doing our duty” by merely posting things…But what does the Bible say:

 

¨       James 2:14-17“¹⁴ What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

 

¨       We can post statuses and “like” pictures about what we believe all day but if we never go out and actually put what we say we believe into practice, it is dead. Don’t get me wrong, posting scripture and encouraging good political change via social media is a good thing, but it is useless if not put into practice by our lives.

 

• Ø  Substitute for Real Relationships

¨       While social media can be an excellent way to keep in touch and up to date with friends and family who you might lose contact with otherwise (I use it for that a lot), there is a very real danger for shallow cyber communication and shallow cyber relationships to take the place of real, genuine face to face, voice to voice relationships. Texting would definitely have to be included here. But what does the Bible say?:

 

¨       Heb 10:24-25“²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

¨       Heb 3:12-13 “¹² Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. ¹³ But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

 

¨       We are told as the body of Christ to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. This includes corporate worship as well as fellowshipping in general. We are called to spur one another on to love and good works. We are also told that sin is so deceitful the as the body of Christ, we MUST exhort one another daily. This involves having genuine relationships with people…not only talking to them via social media. While we can use social media to encourage one another with scripture and catch up with them, this can only be done in a very limited way without spending quality time with people.

 

• Ø  Fear Of Man

¨       If we are not careful, an abundance of social media can cause us to become overly concerned with what other people think about us. We get so worried enough about how people perceive us as it is, and if we are not careful, social media may just aggravate this problem in our lives. But what does the Bible say?:

 

¨       Prov 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.”

¨       Col 3:1-4 “¹Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. ³ For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

 

¨       When we are overly concerned with what others think, it can be a snare to us. So what is the remedy? We must remember that if we are believers, it is not so important what man thinks about us, but rather what God thinks. Our life is hidden with Christ! Our identity should be found in him! Not what people think of us based upon how many “friends” we have on Facebook or how many likes we get.

 

• Ø  Hypocrisy

¨       When we are using social media, what is our focus? We put forth much effort to select only the best pictures of ourselves for others to see. We carefully craft our “about” paragraph to paint the best possible picture of ourselves. We think of things we can post so that everybody gets the best impression of us. Many times we end up painting a false picture of ourselves and ultimately become…hypocritical! But what does the Bible say about this?:

 

¨       Matt 23:4-5 in speaking about the Pharisees Jesus says: “⁴ They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. ⁵ But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their ^[a]phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments.

 

¨       Jesus spends the entire chapter of Matthew 23 rebuking the Pharisees about hypocrisy. He strongly charges his disciples…and ultimately us, not to be like them. Again, it is so important to remember that our identity is found in Christ, and not in what others think about us.

It is so important that we don’t let our social media involvement become a substitute for DOING what God has called us to do. We have to be so careful that we don’t allow our relationships with others to be primarily the shallow ones found in social networking sites. Also, we must be careful to find our identity in Christ, and to present ourselves without hypocrisy. In the next post I will wrap things up by discussing the all important question…is hours of social media really the best use of our time? Don’t miss it!

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Is There Anything WRONG With Social Media?

We all LOVE social media. It is something that many of us spend several hours a day on. We may be facing friends on Facebook; tweeting tweets on twitter; pining interests on Pintrist; or you may be viewing the tube on Youtube. All of these sites and more are what consumes the lives of most young people, and many older ones as well for that matter.

We all know the advantages of these websites: staying connected with friends and family; networking; quick and easy communication for both work and personal ventures; DIY help; Social Marketing (you may be reading this Blog post as a result of that); getting hundreds of people praying for a need, and much more.

However we have to ask ourselves these questions: is social media all good? Could there be some major dangers associated with it as well? Certainly stalking could be a danger associated with it (many of us have had this problem). But I am thinking of other dangers that affect us more from within.

This was a question posed to myself alongside many of the other 20 some-things in my church a few months ago by the College and Career Pastor. Many of these concerns were taken from questions that he posed. I found them to be very though provoking, and I hope that you will as well.

• Ø  It  Can Encourage Complaining

¨       Isn’t amazing how many times we might go on Facebook or Twitter and see status’s that say something like: “I’m sick and tired of work!” or “I’ve just had the worst day ever!” or how about: “professor so and so just gives way too much homework!” and the list goes on. Unfortunately I too have been guilty of this as well. But what does God’s Word say?

¨       Phil 2:14-16“¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing; ¹⁵ so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

¨       Paul says that we are to do all things without grumbling or complaining…why? So that we can maintain a good testimony of Christ in the middle of this wicked generation. What kind of light am I being to my unsaved friends if all they see on my Facebook is complaints? They probably think “Man! That’s one unhappy Christian!”

 

• Ø  It Can Encourage Self Promotion

¨       Social media can also be used as a way to promote self. Many of us find ourselves posting statuses that highlight our achievements, posting the absolute best pictures of us that we can find, or writing some witty status and constantly having to check and see how many people have “liked” it. While there is certainly nothing wrong with these things in themselves, if we are not careful, it can become ALL about us. So what does that Bible say:

¨       Phil 2:3-4 “³ Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; ⁴ do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

¨       Wow! Humility means to put other people and their needs above our own! This is something we should all keep in mind as we continue in our social media endeavors.

 

• Ø  A Focus on Sharing Opinions

¨       Another danger of social media is that we can get so wrapped up in sharing our opinions that we are less inclined to seek Biblical Truth and true Wisdom. So what does God’s Word say:

¨       Prov 18:2 “A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind.”

¨       We need to be very careful when it comes to sharing our opinions. It’s not necessarily wrong to do so, but we need to always be sure that they are based upon Biblical truth, rather than our own thoughts. If we are not careful, we might fall into the trap of the fool described here in this verse.

Wow! These are some things that we don’t always think about when we hop on Facebook, twitter or other forms of social media. But wait, it gets worse! Make sure to catch the next post in which I will discuss some of the ways social media can remove us from the real world. Don’t miss it!!

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