Gadgets and God

The Christmas season is a time when lots of new gadgets are rolled out. A constant barrage of fevered pitches make us wonder how we ever lived without the ability to eat a bowl of cereal without digital content streaming on the box for our viewing pleasure. Sadly, my sarcasm is going to have to get much much sharper because I'm only slightly exaggerating. Ahh, the wonderful world of advancing technology. Meanwhile, the pace of life and the abundance of messages that fill our heads hinders us from pausing long enough to consider how these changes affect our communion with God. Consider this...How does our ability to manipulate content affect our carnal bent toward selfishness? Let me explain. There is a common thread in most of the sales pitches that relates to our ability to "have it our way". We can have "our" music, video, pics, messages on any number of devices. That way we are never without what we want, when we want it, where we want it and how we want it. If I attempt to translate that thinking into my relationship with God, I'm heading for a fall. God's goal is not to respond to our selfishness by accomodating what we want when we want it. In fact communion with God has been known to produce patience in my life. Please don't misunderstand this post as a rant against technology. Remember, I'm not preaching a sermon behind a pulpit in a church building - I'm posting my thoughts on a blog that can be read around the world on phones and a host of devices. I used my Kindle to read from an electronic copy of a book at a Bible study last night. However, we need to cultivate an awarenss of the deep truth of Romans 12:1. The Message reads "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." The bottom line? Don't forget to think about God. God is still the only one who can change us from the inside out.