Examine All Things
“For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved” (2 Pet. 2:19).
The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business recently conducted an experiment to analyze the addictive properties of social media, along with other vices. Preliminary data suggests the high-est rate of “self-control failures” were tied to social media services, such as Facebook and Twitter. Wilhelm Hofmann, leader of the team conducting the study, suggests people fail to resist social me-dia over other vices due to their perception that nothing harmful will come from it. “Desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of their high availability, and also because it feels like it does not ‘cost much’ to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist,” Hofmann said. He went on to warn, however, that these services can ultimately be a huge drain on users’ time. “With cigarettes and alcohol there are more costs—long-term as well as monetary—and the opportunity may not always be the right one. So, even though giving in to media desires is certainly less consequential, the frequent use may still ‘steal’ a lot of people’s time.”
Employers have complained about “time wasters” much longer than Facebook and Twitter have been around. Years ago I remember working a job where one of my fellow employees was the model of being industrious, until the supervisor left the area. Then, he would find anything and everything to do not to work. No doubt social media is, for some, just the latest way one can “kill time.”
I don’t mean to imply in all this that social media is wrong in and of itself. The above Scripture, however, points out that our allegiance should be to the Lord, and anything that takes that focus away needs to be scrutinized and our priorities reevaluated. To slaves Paul wrote that, no matter the kind of master one had, one should do his or her best. “Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord” (Eph. 6:6-8). Certainly this should be the attitude of every Christian, to do your best at whatever it is one does, to please God.
I would raise the question whether social media can keep one from living life as God desires. Do you have time to text, but not to pray? Can you post on Facebook, or tweet on Twitter, but not attend worship? Anything we allow to come between us and God is an idol, and we must do our best to put those things out of our hearts, so that God rightly comes first. We are to sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts (1 Pet. 3:15), so we can seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matt. 6:33). As Jesus said, “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire” (Matt. 18:9).
I know a lot of people who do a lot of encouraging and teaching through media such as Facebook. However, like anything else, we must make sure it doesn’t become a poor substitute for real fellowship and genuine Christian living. Paul reminds us, “’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be enslaved by anything” (1 Cor. 6:12). May we examine the things in our lives by God’s good will for us, and make sure what we say and do conforms to it. “So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil” (Rom. 14:16).
Robert Johnson
