Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Hype. Dictionary.com defines hype as “exaggerated publicity; hoopla … an ingenious or questionable claim, method, etc., used in advertising, promotion, or publicity to intensify the effect … a swindle, deception, or trick.” We hear a lot these days about hype … and there’s a whole lot of hype about a whole lot of issues. Frankly, a lot of the hype is a mask for evil words of the wicked.
More and more in our society, we are bombarded through all kinds of media with outlandish claims and statements – hype - that sound just true enough to reel us in and catch us off guard. We’ve bought into everything from “reality TV” to tabloid journalism to political spin. And the lines between truth and fiction have become so blurry that often no one is sure of anything.
Hype about the Razorbacks and how good they are predicted to be this year may be one thing. Hype that is designed to scare us into believing one way or another about serious social and religious issues is totally different. We need to all take a deep breath, stop and think about what we are seeing and hearing, and ask ourselves if it lines up with the word of God. We need to surround ourselves with people who are level-headed, spend time in prayer and Bible study, and listen to our Heavenly Father … not the “spin doctors” on television and in the media or some of those who like to share letters and opinions in our local newspaper. We need to use our head … and check things out on websites like www.urbanlegends.com and www.snopes.com.
Be informed – do some digging and get to the heart of what people are saying. Choose your friends and your role models carefully. Ask God to give you discernment in all things, and remember that He does not operate in fear. Sadly, there are people who will invoke the Lord’s name as they spew untruths, and yes … evil poison. There are “Christians” who operate in fear and threats. Think of e-mails that say… “If you love Jesus, you will forward this e-mail” or even “Send this to six friends and get six blessings … nine friends and get nine blessings.” We can’t bargain with God for His favor!
On Facebook, I’m blessed to be “friends” with a young woman who posts frequent messages of hope and encouragement … prayer requests for those in need … uplifting scriptures, mentions of specific needs in our community, and praise for her church and the work God is doing there. I sometimes see posts from a few “friends” who want to spew hype … most of it negative. Sadly, some of them invoke their faith as they do so … and honestly, I have to hide them – or even block them completely. I’m learning that I cannot be surrounded by such thoughts and words. The more I remove the “hype” from my life and my heart, the more room I have for the life-giving words of God Almighty.
And that’s what it’s all about. We need plenty of room in our daily lives for the life-giving well of good words from good people. If you find that your life is getting cluttered with hype, it may be time for a good old-fashioned cleaning. Ask God to help you with this. Ask Him to surround you with good people who speak truthfully. Ask God to give you wisdom and discernment to sift through the hype and get to His truths. It’s time for us to all make a little extra room in our hearts for the good stuff!
©2010 Debbie Robus
No comments:
Post a Comment