What are some ways your phone may be hindering your walk with Christ?
disrespect the sermon
When someone comes up to me after service and says, ,Pastor, while you were preaching, someone was on their cell phone, playing Candy Crush or something I think. This really bothers me. This bothers me more. It bothers me that someone would come to church to hear the Word of God be taught but would rather be entertained. Something is very wrong here. It’s not just an insult to God’s Word, it’s an insult to God and it can reveal someone who doesn’t really hunger and thirst for righteousness.
destroying interpersonal relationships
Electronic devices have distanced us as people. We are on social media more than we are among friends; But it can never replace close, personal relationships with our friends, family, church members, or other people we know. We post and offend some and then “unfriend” them, thinking, “That will solve the problem.” But Christianity is about having a personal relationship, having a personal relationship with God, and having a personal relationship with others. You really can’t do that on the internet either.
ignore the world
There was a day and age when people used to walk around and make eye contact with each other. They talked even when they met on the street. However, today we can be walking right past our best friend and she doesn’t even know it. We are so busy messaging that we do not pay attention to things around us. Some family members in our church even message each other in the same house (or at church!). We know about the dangers of texting while driving, but today texting while walking can be deadly. This is toying with adversity and also hurts our walk with Christ because we can be so disconnected from the world around us.
wasting our time
Electronic devices can also take us away from things that are more important in our lives, such as prayer and reading God’s Word. If we were to take a list of our daily routines, what one thing would dominate our free time (outside of work)? To me, this may not sound good. On the other hand, there are devotional apps (like the one on this website) that you can use to have daily devotions delivered to your phone or other electronic device. There are other Bible apps that can help you grow in the grace and knowledge of God.
distracting services
If someone is on their phone during the service, I have to learn to take my eyes off them, or I’ll lose a lot. I have to force myself to see what is happening in the services. However, if they’re right in front of me or right next to me, it’s nearly impossible to concentrate when they’re texting, playing a game, or checking email. I think it is unfair to the people around him. It hurts not only their walk with Christ, but everyone else’s as well.
conclusion
You can probably think of more things than me that are hurting our walk with Christ. Whatever the case, we must prioritize our walk with Christ, make eye contact with people with respect, and not distract worshipers who are meant to grow in the grace of our Lord. Honor the word and respect others. This is what we are called to do.