DAILY DEVOTIONAL – February 10, 2021
“Me, Myself, & Death”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have no better friend that You. Before we knew You, You knew us and our desperate need for Your love and salvation, and You died in order to give that to us freely by grace through faith. Lord, remind us each day through Your Word in our hearts that our eternal worth and value comes only through knowing You. Amen.
Scripture: 2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
Devotional – “Me, Myself & Death”
When you think of the perfect place to take a picture, what do you envision? A lush green landscape, the sun setting over the ocean or behind the skyline? In front of the family fireplace? Those places would certainly seem appropriate.
Well, how about taking a picture while standing on the edge of a powerful waterfall, or dangling by one hand off the side of a high-rise skyscraper, or standing on a set of train tracks while a huge locomotive barrels around the corner? While I hope and pray none of those sound like a good idea to you, according to CNN and numerous other news sources, there is a growing and global trend of taking pictures of yourself (called “selfies”) while risking your life in some spectacular way.
From October of 2011 to November of 2017, 259 people have died while taking selfies and the trend is only getting worse it seems. According to CNN, something is driving young adults across the globe to take selfies while trying to out run massive storms, trying to beat a train across the tracks, dangling from high rise buildings and even jumping into wild animal exhibits at the zoo. Russia, India and the United States were cited in the report as being the 3 top countries where people are literally killing themselves in a desperate attempt to be “liked” or “followed” on social media sites.
According to the article I read, “The youth and tourists are frequently affected because of the desire of ‘being cool,’ posting photos on social (media) and getting rewards in forms of likes and comments,” the study says. “Selfies are themselves not harmful, but the human behavior that accompanies selfies is dangerous. Individuals need to be educated regarding certain risky behaviors and risky places where selfies should not be taken.”
As I was reading this article for the first time, the words of our Scripture passage for today from 2 Timothy 3 came to mind. The Apostle Paul says that in the last days people will be “lovers of self” and “without self-control” and “reckless”.
I remember when I was growing up as a kid, my brother and I did some pretty reckless and stupid things for the sake of a thrill, however, there were limits. For all of the antics we got into, trying to out run a locomotive or jumping into a lion’s den for a photo op would have been clearly out of bounds. Maybe it’s because back then, if someone really “liked” you or wanted to “follow” you, they would actually have to physically hang out with you and would be there to hopefully stop you from doing something ridiculous.
I do agree with what the CNN article said; selfies in and of themselves are not bad and neither is social media inherently bad. Being someone that doesn’t have any immediate family nearby, social media is a wonderful blessing to stay connected and keep eyes on the ones you love. There are countless articles on the problems caused by social media and the accessibility of technology through things like cell phones equipped with HD cameras, however, technology is not the problem…people are the problem.
What technology and especially social media has done is expose our sinfulness as people in a whole new way. I don’t believe there has been a generation of young adults that wasn’t reckless or that didn’t reckless things in order to be popular or gain attention? We all, both young and old, regularly do and say things we shouldn’t for the sake of being liked by others.
The most prominent abuse of social media is in how it is used to project a false image of one’s self for the sake of being “cool” or “liked”. Technology certainly has enabled and made more prominent our tendency to be self-absorbed and narcissistic, however, this is not a generational problem…it’s a sinful people problem. While there is no doubt that social media has made it easier for us to put on our “best face” for everyone, I’m not sure we are any less pretentious when we behave differently or speak differently in person depending on who it is we are with and who we want to impress. It says in verse 5 of our passage from 2 Timothy that in the last days people will “give the appearance of godliness” and yet deny the power of God. This certainly isn’t just a “last days” problem…this is a problem for every single person, ever, because there is no one that is good and godly on their own.
Maybe you and I aren’t risking our lives to take a selfie, but this 21st century problem makes clear what lies at the root of the sin in which we all share. Pride and self-centeredness. The epidemic of selfies and social media is only evidence of the fact that we are painfully aware of our sin. We know that we are not the person we want to be or want others to see. We know that we are not the people we should be, or that we were created and intended to be. As the prophet Jeremiah said in no uncertain terms, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” In this day and age technology reveals that painful truth, and though in different ways, all generations before and after this one, have and will reveal the need we all have to be delivered from the bondage of our own sinfulness and selfishness, and the death it has brought upon us.
The only hope for this selfie-generation or for the next generation, is the same hope that all generations of sinful humanity has had since Adam and Eve first tried to cover up who they really were after realizing their sin against God by eating the forbidden fruit. Our only hope is Jesus Christ, God’s promised Savior. It is Christ who gives us worth and confidence and purpose in life, for He has made us the beloved children of God through faith. There is no one in this life that we need to impress. There is no one in this life that can save us from our sin or from death. Only Christ has the power to save because He conquered the grave through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. If we are first and foremost concerned about being “liked” by God and ensuring He calls us “friend”, that is what will impress the right people and what will make us attractive to those whose attention is worth having.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 puts it this way, “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves bur for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
As Christians, we don’t have to be afraid of technology or be critical of technology for technology’s sake. Much like a sword, which by itself is neither bad nor good, technology and social media have enormous potential to be either a blessing or a curse. We can either use it to reveal the darkness and deceitfulness within us, or we can use it to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Ultimately, whether it be on Facebook or face-to-face, Christ has told us as His disciples, “14You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Thanks for spending some devotional time with me today. God bless you, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
