Today’s readings can be found at these links:
2 Corinthians 10:5 We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ.
I
love Facebook, but there are some days that I wished it just didn't exist. I
read somewhere that if you want a fight, just go on Facebook and write
something. Within minutes, someone will take umbrage, oppose what you say, and
begin an argument. Hey, I’ve done that before myself, and no doubt I’ll do it
again sometime in the near future.
Perhaps
the powers that be should redefine Facebook as a contact sport, where people
compete against each other philosophically, religiously, and socially. I’m just
glad that every now and then, someone posts a picture of a cat or a baby or a
beautiful landscape. In the midst of all online squabbling humanity, it’s great
to find that peace and humor, happiness and thoughtfulness abound as well.
It
kind of makes me glad that Paul wasn't born in the 20th century. His
Facebook posts would have people reeling in their computer chairs and foaming at
their mobile devices. He was'’t one to pull his punches or leave things alone.
Whenever the bold Apostle thought that Christ’s authority, ministry, and
mission were being challenged, he hit some theological home runs which
diminished the opposition. If he were around today, he might spend a lot of his
time in front of a computer screen, steeling himself for the next attack on the
scriptures, and delving into arguments where even angels would fear to tread.
Anyway,
the point of this devotional is two-fold: firstly, we all have our own
viewpoints and will defend them to the hilt when provoked (even on Facebook);
and secondly, isn't it great that 21 centuries later we're still talking about
Christ on the web and around the world?
Questions for personal reflection
What are the
strongest beliefs that I have as a Christian? How do I express those beliefs to
other people? Am I too bold or too benign?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Spirit lives among
us and we are grateful to be called by You as followers and disciples, servants
and siblings. Make us more aware of who we should be in Your eyes and how we
should positively relate that calling to the world. In Your Holy Name, we pray.
Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of my early abstracts called “Last Time.” If you would like to
view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3553/3359197112_0e947b29bb_b.jpg
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