I was sitting in church the other day listening to a sermon. The sermon was fine. But there was something the preacher said (unrelated to the point of his sermon) that got me thinking.
I forget the preacher’s exact words but he talked about getting a thumbs up from Jesus. Now, here is how my brain works. That idea of a thumbs up got me thinking about the various “like” buttons on social media platforms – some of which are actual thumbs up. Which in turn got me wondering what God would “like” our Facebook pages.
Would God like our profile pics?
Yes, I think He would. He would because He loves us. I remember John Ortburg talking about how God would be that dad with dozens of pictures of us on His phone, ready to show them off to anyone and everyone. That image has never left me. You are God’s child. He has your picture nearby because He loves you. So check out your profile pic. Would He like it?
How does God feel about the verses and inspirational quotes we post?
I guess He would be OK with them. But I think He would like us posting pictures and status updates showing us living out His Words instead of just posting the words. Those moments where we shared His love in real and tangible ways, where we were obedient, where we served, where we worshiped – I think that’s really the stuff He would like to see.
What does God think of all of our comments or conversations on social media?
I’m not talking about “standing up for truth” or defending Him but more about how we say things, not just what we say. Comment sections and conversations are notorious places for arguments, thoughtless comments, and putting others down while puffing ourselves up. And I am pretty sure that wouldn’t get a like from God, even if we were saying the “right” thing. I think God would be checking our comments to see if they were grace filled and life giving. It is possible to disagree with somebody or stand for truth and still be salt and light – instead of being mean and arrogant and condescending. And He would be checking our chats to see if we were using our time and energy to listen, to bring hope and light and to point people towards Him. That stuff would get likes. I wonder if His favorite comments and chats are the ones that invite people into offline conversations that deepened relationships.
Often times we curate our online selves to portray an image or persona to the rest of the world. That’s fine I guess. But then let’s have a persona that God would like. Let’s not just curate, let’s do our best to live in such a way that the image people see is the image of Christ in us.
Marc McAlister
Director of Church Health
