One of my biggest pet peeves is when my friends text or call other people while we are together. If it's an emergency, that's an entirely different matter. But if we are together, and you choose to talk to another friend who isn't even present, I find it highly offensive. It makes me feel unvalued, unloved, and un-interesting. Because I hate it so much, I try very hard to not subject my own friends to such feelings of neglect. And most of the time, I think I do a pretty good job of paying attention to the people with whom I am currently spending time.
But I was hit with the painful realization today, that the one person in the world with whom I consistently do not succeed in that endeavor...is God. I habitually do my Bible study while sitting in front of the computer, ostensibly so that I can easily look up Biblical cross-references. But today I realized that it is more of a hindrance than a help. Rather than looking up verses to aid me in my study of God's word, I so often get distracted by friendly people IMing or messaging me. And, rather than ignoring them and focusing on my time with the Lord, I almost always reply to them.
What if God feels the same way about that that I do? The Bible says that our God is a jealous God - He cannot like that I make Him share our special time together with other friends. The thought of making God feel unvalued, unloved, and un-interesting nearly breaks my heart. Especially when my IM conversations are almost never anything of real substance. That's ridiculous. This is the creator of the universe we're talking about here. He deserves more than that.
In the end, is IMing friends during your quiet time really any better than idolatry? We have put our relationships with friends on a pedestal of equal importance as our relationship with the Lord. But God loves us so much that He is not willing to share us. Do you love Him enough that you are willing to give Him your undivided attention?
But I was hit with the painful realization today, that the one person in the world with whom I consistently do not succeed in that endeavor...is God. I habitually do my Bible study while sitting in front of the computer, ostensibly so that I can easily look up Biblical cross-references. But today I realized that it is more of a hindrance than a help. Rather than looking up verses to aid me in my study of God's word, I so often get distracted by friendly people IMing or messaging me. And, rather than ignoring them and focusing on my time with the Lord, I almost always reply to them.
What if God feels the same way about that that I do? The Bible says that our God is a jealous God - He cannot like that I make Him share our special time together with other friends. The thought of making God feel unvalued, unloved, and un-interesting nearly breaks my heart. Especially when my IM conversations are almost never anything of real substance. That's ridiculous. This is the creator of the universe we're talking about here. He deserves more than that.
In the end, is IMing friends during your quiet time really any better than idolatry? We have put our relationships with friends on a pedestal of equal importance as our relationship with the Lord. But God loves us so much that He is not willing to share us. Do you love Him enough that you are willing to give Him your undivided attention?
Exodus 34:12-17
12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.[a] 14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
15 “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. 16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.
17 “Do not make any idols.
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