4 minute read.
Daily Reading: Numbers 15-16 GW; 2 Timothy 4 GW
Social Media limits your perspective.
In the recent study, “How Social Media Makes it Difficult to Identify Real News,” researchers discovered:
“People viewing a blend of news and entertainment on a social media site tended to pay less attention to the source of content they consumed — meaning they could easily mistake satire or fiction for real news.”
Social media allows us to believe lies easily. We follow people who have similar interests as ourselves. Skimming through our timelines produces a blend of friend updates, funny memes, and news. The problem is, identifying what is real and what isn’t. A couple of years ago, I fell for a fake story about a popular pastor signing a multi-million dollar contract to work at a different church. The post was fictional but written in such a way, I believed it as truth. Only when I shared the “news” with my husband did I find the truth.
Timothy is warning us about social media a thousand years before it existed. People during his time didn’t have online profiles. But just like us, they followed who they wanted to follow. If a woman was trying to get pregnant, she worshipped the fertility gods. Warriors followed warrior gods. Gladiators followed gladiator gods. Because they followed so many different gods, they covered their bases with an altar for the “Unknown God.” We’re human; our nature is to connect with those who like what we like. God isn’t about like; He’s about love rooted in truth.
Jesus is truth.
Love demands truth. My real friends are not the ones who tell me what I want to hear. My real friends are the ones who tell me what I don’t want to hear WITH love. They are not necessarily the ones I want to surround myself with all of the time. Sometimes truth requires space to accept. But my real friends are the ones I know love me the most.
No one loves you more than Jesus. Following Him means learning how to love, Him and others. Jesus doesn’t do what you want. He doesn’t hate people because they have hurt you. Jesus loves both sides of the story because He knows both sides. God is a known God. He’s intimately involved in our lives whether we follow Him or not. If you believe in Jesus but aren’t following Him, He’s still following you. Jesus doesn’t unfriend people when they make Him mad or disagree with His opinion. Jesus loved at all times. He expects the same from us.
Follow Jesus first. Surround yourself with people who agree AND disagree with you. Verify the sources of the information you receive. Don’t believe everything you read. Search for truth, find truth.
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Lord Jesus, thank You for bringing truth to the world. Open our eyes and ears to see more than just our opinion. Forgive us, Lord, for not loving those who view the world differently than us. Help us to embrace everyone we meet with love. Whoever we encounter today, I pray after they are with us, their day is better. Help us seek truth by following You. Reveal to us what we cannot see. IJNIP. Amen
Question for reflection
How has social media limited your perspective?
