Be Like Jesus (Social Media Edition)-- Ephesians 5:1-2

"Follow God's Example in everything you do just as a much loved child imitates his father. Be full of love for others, following the example of Christ who loved you and gave himself to God as a sacrifice to take away your sins." Ephesians 5:1-2 

Can we have a candid discussion about what we put on social media? Are you able to look at your social media posts and be proud of the things you are posting for the world to see? Do your posts uplift others and let your light shine? 

Have you let your flesh rise up and become a keyboard warrior? Hiding behind the anonymity of a username and a screen makes it easy for us to not be held accountable for our actions. I know I have sometimes struggled with keeping my fingers in check as they hovered over the keyboard, ready to punch out a scathing reply to a rude comment. It is during those times that I have to push myself back, close my eyes, take a deep breath, and ask, "What response is most pleasing to the Lord?" When I take that extra minute to reign in my emotions and seek favor with the Lord, I know that He will give me the wisdom to reply with kindness or to simply scroll on past. 

But social media is so much more than picking fights and defending our views. It is a way for us to post about our lives, upload cute memes, connect with loved ones, and create new friendships across the globe. With over three billion people using social media, that is a lot of people you could be connecting with and showing your life (and heart) to. When you look at your profile, do you see a Godly person casting their net to gather souls for the Lord, or do you see someone who touches on a love for the Lord but lets the world dominate their feed? 

Proverbs 1:15 tells us, "My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path." While your friends may be posting inappropriate (or even borderline inappropriate) things on their social media accounts, you do not have to follow or even give that content a like. Instead, let your posts be uplifting and Christ-centered. 

Proverbs 4:14 goes on to tell us, "Do not enter the path of the wicked and do not proceed in the way of evil men." Posting a meme about needing more coffee is perfectly fine, until you take it one more step and post a meme that has a "mild' curse word. Then, you go another step further and post a questionable image or borderline crude joke. You openly proclaim your love for Jesus and that you are a Christian, yet you post things online that are not pleasing to the Lord. 

I see it every day. Friends who have become born again create social media posts proclaiming Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and then the very next post underneath is a crude meme or a post filled with anger, spewing forth curse words and hate. I have had to stop myself a few times from typing something scathing or unacceptable, and I have giggled at a silly (but slightly inappropriate) meme. However, I try my best to offer a space on social media filled with love and kindness with a splash of reality tossed in for good measure. 

Even if we only reach one soul for Christ, we should let our light shine and not let the darkness of the
world creep in and dim that light. Before you create your next social media post, sit back and ask if what you are posting is pleasing to the Lord. If the answer is no, don't post it. If you are not certain of the answer, ask yourself if what you are about to post is something you would openly share in church. If the answer is no, don't post it. 

Be pleasing to the Lord and use your social media platforms to witness to the world. I'm not saying preach at your friends and followers, but don't post offensive, volatile, disgusting content. Use your platform to encourage, seek prayer, build relationships, and just maybe open a few hearts of non-believers to the Living Word.