April 10 ~ 2 Timothy 1:7
So I ask you to make full use of the gift that God gave you when I placed my hands on you. Use it well. God's Spirit doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control. Don't be ashamed to speak for our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, just because I am in jail for serving him. Use the power that comes from God and join with me in suffering for telling the good news.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Facebook is such an interesting Internet resource. I am amazed at what people are ready and willing to post for the world to read. Some are eager to gripe and complain about every up and down of their day (and believe me, with some it’s minute-to-minute!), while others use this social network to share good news and the latest accomplishments of their children. Some use it for professional networking and reconnecting with long-lost friends. Still others use it for political commentary – both positive and venomous. Somehow, it is as if we feel a little “safe” in hiding behind the facade of Facebook. We are a little more bold than we would be face-to-face with someone. We will “name it and claim it” for John Q. Public to see – because he/she can’t actually see us!
I’m not sure this is always good. For one thing, a lot of inflection and intention gets lost in translation via the Internet, e-mail, instant messaging, and social network posts. But I do find it interesting that we are so ready to “air our dirty laundry,” take every poll known to man, and build a virtual farm… but we can’t post a message about how God is working in our life. We can talk about the weather, the Razorbacks, and the latest concert we’ve attended, but we can’t ask our hairdresser or barber, “Where do you go to church?” We send virtual smiles, hearts and gifts to everyone on our “friends list,” but we can’t smile at the checker at Wal-Mart who might be having a bad day… and we are snarky to the waitperson who is too busy to keep our water glass full. We can text our friends with lightning speed - and we wouldn’t be caught dead outside the house without our cell phone, but we seldom remember to carry our Bible with us to church – much less open it at home and read it!
I wonder what would happen if we truly unleashed the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? What if, for even one day, we all operated fully under God’s power, served as vehicles for His love, and maintained self-control? What if we threw caution to the wind and were full-out servants of the Most High God, filled with faith and trust that He could really, truly move mountains (literally and figuratively), and that we were going to share that news with the world?! I’m convinced that most of us don’t have a clue about the Holy Spirit and His work in and through us… and certainly we have not unleashed His power!
So what are you waiting for? Let’s operate in confidence and contentment for a change and see where it takes us. Let’s be bold and even a little bit daring and tell somebody, “I’m praying for you” – and then DO IT! Let’s live like the redeemed princes and princesses of the King of Kings – and invite others to join us! Make full use of the gift that God has given you… and use it well… even on social networking sites and across the Internet. Let’s see how we can use these God-given tools to spread the gospel and carry the Light of Christ to the world. May the real Power Surge begin today – and may it begin with us!
©2010 Debbie Robus
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