Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a mans sows, that he will also reap.

Galatians 6:7, RSV

 

Perhaps you have seen the results of some of the recent studies, comparing our use of technology and social media to drug addiction. There have been recent studies showing that many people feel withdrawal symptoms similar to that of a drug addict needing a fix, when they have not checked their cell phones for several minutes. Many of our young people are receiving similar dopamine "hits" from the number of views or likes they have received on their social media accounts. Some who study the patterns and effects of addiction have compared this phenomenon to the use of heavy drugs such as meth and heroin.

 

Now, I doubt many of you are in that dire of a situation, but most of us can admit that we spend far too much time on our computers, our phones, and other devices that let us scan the web and "keep up" with the latest news on our friends. Add that to the addiction that many have towards video games and television, and we can see that we spend too much time in a play world than in the real world.

 

Do you think that there will be electronics in Heaven?

 

Now, please don't get me wrong on the direction of today's article. I don't think there is anything wrong with a expending a proper amount of down time to relax for a bit and recharge our batteries. But if we find ourselves waking up in the middle of the night to check our cell phones or fantasizing during our work day of video games and other electronic activities, or if we panic like a meth addict who can't find his needle when we think that we may have misplaced our cell phones, then maybe we would have to consider that we might have a problem.

 

So, what is the answer? I have found one in my own life that helps me, and maybe it will help you. It's an old remedy that our forefathers used and, though it is ancient, it is quite effective. What is this "miracle" cure, you might be wondering? Simply this: Read a good book!

 

Now, I realize that we can read on our phones and computers, and while there are some things that you can only access in this way, I would strongly recommend that you reserve your quality reading time for real books. That way you won't be tempted to check your most recent texts or e-mails or favorite websites for "just a second" only to find yourself sucked into the vortex that is modern days electronics for hours on end.

 

Here is what I have discovered to be profitable for my own situation: First, read the Bible every day. I don't mean just check off a few chapters from your daily Bible reading list, or open the Bible at random to see what you might be inspired by. I'm not knocking doing these things, they can be useful at times, but my encouragement to you is to read, with intention, God's Word each day for the specific purpose of finding out what his will is for you, His servant. Find out what He expects of you, what He desires for you to accomplish - in short, how He wants you to live. Take some serious time, at least half an hour a day, to really dig into His Word and discover the true meaning of life. He has very specific expectations for you - do you know what they are?

 

Second, after having taken the time to read the Bible, may I recommend you find some excellent books to read? Perhaps you can remember from way, way back, when you used to read for information, and for self-improvement. There are excellent books out there that you will find far more valuable than a "quick" two hour session with social media, a questionable television program, or favorite video game. Again, I don't believe that there is anything wrong with relaxing after a hard day, or taking a break for a reward from time to time. As a matter of fact, I believe we should take several hours each day for rest and relaxation, but this needs to be with wholesome things that befit one who claims to be a servant of God. So, if you are watching T.V., playing a video game, or surfing the web, make sure that it is something that God would approve of. I don't think this is too heavy a burden for anyone, but it will take a conscious retraining of the mind for some of us.

 

Getting back to the books we read after having taken care of the most important responsibility of reading God's word: Read something excellent! Find a self-help book. There are thousands of great ones out there from Norman Vincent Peale's "power of Positive Thinking" to Dale Carnegie's "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living", and innumerable books in between. While there is nothing wrong with reading a good work of fiction, save those books for dessert, but don't get too carried away with them. And, should you find a good book that is filled with bad language and suggestive content, maybe you should re-think your definition of a good book.

 

I know you may be wondering why I am spending so much time on this subject, but it has been something that I have been more and more concerned about for a long time. I believe our society has slipped into an electronics based coma, and is drifting towards a fantasy land filled with so many distractions that they have crowded out the time we have remaining to be effective servants of God. For you see, the sole reason that we exist is because God created us, and the main focus of our existence is a pleasing service to both He and Christ.

 

Think about this: Do you think that God is pleased with the way you are using your time? Are we living as true servants, or are we "stealing" the time that He has given us here on earth? The reason it is important to ask such questions is that we will all kneel before Him on that final day and give an answer for the things we have done while here on earth. While there can be no question that it is acceptable and necessary to relax from time to time, we could all do a better job getting our use of time in proper perspective. This is how God inspired King Solomon to sum up this very matter:

 

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

Ecclesiastes 12"13-14, (1978 NIV)