11-6-11
I am thankful for technology.
I know technology has brought a lot of undesirable stuff into the inner sanctuary of our home, but the devil intends to bring his evil into every realm., and he uses every means and every angle….in every generation and every culture. We are wise to learn his standard operating procedures and learn to recognize them immediately, shutting him down before he gets his stinky foot in the door.
Sure, there is a lot of porn on the internet. But there are thousands of excellent sources for Chrisitians to learn and grow or be entertained.
Sure, email and Facebook etc. remove the face to face, up-close-and-personal ways of relating to others. But there are thousands of friendships that are born and grow from the cyber world of social networking. Hundreds of friends and relatives are re-connected and communicating on a regular basis, sharing their lives thru words and photographs or videos.
There are lots of negatives to the social technology of today. (….I seem to remember the same said of television and satellite recievers…) Some things are most certainly of an evil nature, but the way to block out evil is not to do away with television or internet. Instead, we must choose to use them wisely and in obedience to how God created us to live.
There’s a way to navigate away from bad web-sites, and there’s a channel changer and off switch on the television. We again get to choose, use it….for good or for evil.
“………… God created humankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes." (Ecc. 7:29)
Humans are capable of making a mess of pretty much anything. And there is a very real spiritual realm that will help us do just that.
“….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 it is good or evil.”(Ecc. 12:13,14)
That includes what you do in your cyber-world.
I was almost finished with this reflection last night when the computer sitting across my lap began to sway and I realized that I’d just experienced an earthquake. For the next several minutes, I visited in cyberspace with people from miles away and from people close by, who had also felt the earth move and heard it groaning. Instantly, before the television news had anything to report, I heard from my friends all over Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas about the event.
A few weeks ago, my son and his family experienced an earthquake in New Jersey. In moments I knew about it, heard them share their experience, and knew they were ok. Cell phone and video call technology….
Another reason to be thankful for technology !
