Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17 NASB)
Our men's group just studied this verse, and what really struck me was "the boastful pride of life". What does that mean? I believe it is taking pride in one's life accomplishments . . . and boasting about them. Which gets me thinking, how many times have I stepped outside of my Father's will and boasted about my life achievements?
One of the easiest places to do this is on social media. As I examine my past posts, if I am honest, there are many posts that I have shared in pride . . . all under the guise of keeping you all informed with what God's been doing in my life. It is humbling and convicting.
Social Media allows us to hide behind a shiny, white-washed version of ourselves, where sin is swept under the mat and our best foot is always put forward. How often do we post selfies because, "hey, we are looking good!" How often do we post videos or pictures of ourselves doing some crazy thing or another--all for laughs, right? Or are we secretly motivated by our deep desire to receive attention and admiration?
From the moment we are born, we are driven by our sinful nature to bring glory to ourselves. You see this even with toddlers, as they hold a crowd of onlookers captive by their cute little antics. Their little faces practically glow with three words: Look. At. Me. I don't think we ever outgrow this hunger for glory on our own. It is only when we surrender ourselves to the Lord's will that we truly find freedom from pride. It is through the Father's love that we find fulfillment and freedom from the constant pressure to prove how awesome we are. Instead, we can finally live the life we were created for: to prove how awesome God is.
So my challenge to all of you is to take a serious look at your Social Media pages. Can you honestly say that they are bringing glory to God . . . or do they more resemble a world that shouts those three little words: Look. At. Me?
"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
(Mathew 5:16 NASB)
What an excellent reminder Kyle. Even though I currently don't do any social media beside my blog, I still see how I can easily focus too much on myself. This was a great encouragement to read!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elanee! It is meant to be an encouragement, nothing more, as I have a log to remove out of my own eye. I'm glad the Lord used it as such! :0)
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