Paul, the apostle, had spoken to the Galatians in the early 50’s AD in chapter 3 – “O you foolish Galatians” . . .   They had at one time trusted Jesus Who had not left this earth all that long ago, and now Paul was chiding them that they no longer had the clarity of who the crucified Jesus was.  It was as though they had been bewitched, Paul said.  Truly they had lost their first love and certainly had no feasible capacity to let others see the surety of His ‘love with their lives’.

Somewhere perhaps around 400 AD, these words were uttered by Augustine of Hippo – ‘Love and say it with your life’.  I have to wonder what prompted this man to speak such a profound statement.  I could fully understand why, in this, the 21^st century – but as Christianity was spreading in the ‘known world’ of Augustine’s time, what was the culture – the Christian culture like all those years ago that would draw such a statement from him?

I said all that to say this.  Fast-forwarding to the present day and age of technology, much seems to be said by followers of Christ that leaves me wondering.  Scratching my head.  Perplexed.  There seems to be a duality or conflict of who one is – and what one will put into print, even publicly.  Not that the language (from scatological to profane) comes from the writers themselves, but it is reprinted, reposted by ones to my knowledge who would never readily use such inappropriate language.                       I’m referring to social media.  Okay – to the point.  I’m talking about Facebook.  I have seemingly godly friends whom I have never heard use improper language.  Yet, it seems to be okay to repost someone else’s article with ‘four-letter’ damaging words.  Paul says in Colossians 4.6 ‘to be gracious in your speech, for it to be seasoned with salt’. 

Furthermore, I have more than one ‘godly’ friend who posts Bible verses one moment, and in the next moment, a rather inappropriate joke.  Am I missing something?  I don’t get it!  Paul said in Philippians 4.8 – ‘whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, of excellence, worthy of praise, it is with this we are to fill our minds’.  I’m appalled!  I would love to have the opportunity to ask – face-to-face – is this really part of who you are?  Are these thoughts and language you use in your daily life?

And other ‘godly’ ones – I’m thinking of one, in particular, who is head of missions at their church and nearly every post is filled with hateful, vitriolic political posts.  SO inappropriate!  If the Christian community spent as much time in prayer for our leaders as spewing hateful rhetoric, we probably would have a whole different country.  I Timothy 2:1,2 – “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority . . .“  There’s other Scripture that encourages us to pray for our leaders rather than use such disagreeable and objectionable expressions.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt had it right when he asked ‘that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer.  As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, involving Thy help . . .’

We need to think before we post. Harmful language – even in repost – is questionable, at the least – and so not befitting of one who says they walk with Christ.  Like the early Christians, let’s not be ‘bewitched’ by the culture.  Let’s ‘love and say it with our life’.  Say it with our mind and heart.  And say it with our computer . . .