Four Given - A Journey with Jesus
  • Home
  • Read Four Given
    • 1. Choices
    • 2. Celebrations
    • 3. Consequences
    • 4. Closings
    • 5. Confession
    • 6. Escape
    • 7. The Pass
    • 8. The Place
    • 9. The Hand
    • 10. Returns
    • 11. Giving
    • 12. Reflections
    • 13. Giving Up
    • 14. Seeing
    • 15. Self Improvement
    • 16. Building
    • 17. Message
    • 18. Life+
    • 19. Waiting
    • 20. The End
    • 21. Endless
    • 22. The Beginning
  • Meditations (Video)
  • Meditations (Blog)
  • About

+1 Your Neighbor

26/6/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
*Be warned* This post will reveal you!

Living a life embedded in social media I've decided it's time to rewrite the Bible. It was written way before the modern marvels of Facebook and Google+. Surely if God had given us the Bible now it would be written in a new way, in a way appropriate to how we engage. So here's my attempt at retranslating some key passages. Let's start with the greatest commandment redone so we can do it. 

Jesus replied:“‘Love the Lord your God with all your +1s and with all your Likes and with all your Retweets.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:‘+1 and Like your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37-38)
There we have it. That's a lot easier for us to understand and for us to do. Just login to Google+, Facebook and Twitter and click those buttons and we're done. I can do this. The great commands clicked and done. 

This is sounding reasonable so let's see how our new translation works in action. Here's what Jesus did, rewritten to make modern sense. 
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and LIKEd their sick. (Matthew 14:14)
Yeah, that sounds good - I can do that. Sign up for some charity group and click Like. Too easy. 
Jesus had compassion on them and +1'ed their eyes. Immediately when they received their notification they followed him. (Matthew 20:34)
Oh yes! Next time I see someone post about their needs I +1 their comment and win them as a follower. 
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began +1ing and LIKEing them many times. (Mark 6:34)
What a way to build deep and meaningful relationships. When I see people post and share their needs and thoughts and journey, I'll +1 and Like their comments and they will feel my compassion. 

And so now we have it. We now know what pure religion is about - 
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:to +1 orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)
Too easy? Yes "too easy" indeed. We would be horrified if this is what Jesus did. And equally we would be horrified by the greatest command being reduced to a click. Love is so much more than this. Love is about acts of service, it's about us connecting with people, reaching out and impacting lives. It is not the superficial clicking of buttons. 

Yet sadly this is what our modern world is creating - and I'm not talking about non-Christians but about us. It is creating a superficial generation that connects through clicks and who express love through Likes. It's so easy to read and +1 a post as though this digital "Amen" carries great value. We are hardly bothered to even type "Amen", let alone type a comment. What has happened to us? Relationships are not established in +1s but in discussion, in reading and meaningful engagement. Yet this takes time, effort, energy - and that is what love is after all. There is no shortcut to love. Just because we live in the super fast digital world does not mean that all of a sudden superficial tokens of acknowledgement are now substitutes for love and relationship. 

Relationships were once developed through hours of discussion around camp fires. Then it was through letters and long conversations on the telephone. Then it was through emails and text messages. Then it was through +1s and Likes. From hours and real involvement, relationships have moved to seconds and superficial tokens.

So what does this mean?  Well pick up the digital mirror in front of you and take a look at yourself. Have your relationships been replaced by reads, and love by likes? How often do you read and reply to your brothers and sisters posts? How often do you just click +1 or maybe do nothing? How often do you simply post and not even read what others have to say? Just because we are in the digital world does not mean we can substitute real relationship with shallow shows of love. Let's be different to the rest of the digital world, let's engage, listen, develop relationships - let's live the great command - Love. 
Then those who feared the Lord +1'ed each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and +1'ed his name. (Malachi 3:16)
No, that is not how it was written or should be written or should be lived. Rather...
Then those who feared the Lord TALKED WITH each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and HONORED his name. (Malachi 3:16)
Now for the big test, what will you do next?

If you haven't already...
Enter your email address below and I'll send you my latest blog posts while they're baking hot and fresh.
I guarantee it will leave you uplifted and inspired - and if it doesn't I'll refund your full zero cost ;-)




If you enjoyed this post, please share it using links below, or leave a comment. 
Thanks...Malo.
Picture
Picture


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Life+

    Saved by grace - Living abundantly in Jesus

    Picture

    SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS BAKED FRESH

    Enter your email address below and I'll send you my latest blog posts while they're baking hot and fresh.
    I guarantee they will leave you uplifted and inspired - and if they don't I'll refund your full zero cost ;-)


    Categories

    All
    Belief
    Blessings
    Book Launch
    Book Review
    Facebook
    Faith
    Fear
    Google+
    Guest Post
    Heart
    Micro Message Ministry
    Peace
    Praise
    Pride
    Relationship
    Silence
    Speaking
    Stress
    Thanks
    Tv
    Words
    Worry

    Archives

    January 2021
    September 2018
    June 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    RSS Feed




"I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly" - Jesus
Site created by OUT THERE SITES - Getting your message out there