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Can You Find Nahum?
“CAN YOU FIND NAHUM?”
Now before you get all excited, I want you to know that Nahum is not missing. It is still in the Old Testament. The real question is, “Can you find Nahum without using your smart phone, your table of contents, or spending minutes thumbing through the pages until you come across it?” When I first became a Christian, the members of the Church of Christ were referred to as “walking Bibles.” Now it seems that many don’t even bring a Bible to class or worship services. Is bringing your I pad or smartphone the same thing? Can your children find things in the Bible without using an electronic device? Does your child even have his or her own Bible? What example are we setting for our children when Bibles are not used in our classes or worship services? We used to sing a song called, “Give Me the Bible.” Perhaps we ought to change that to “Give Me My Smart phone.” Christians today live in a world that is filled with digital distractions. Therefore, it is important that we keep our focus on Christ and His unchanging truths and avoid digital distractions.
In Luke 10:40, we read, “Martha was distracted with much serving…….” Jesus was in her house teaching, and she was distracted. Now some 2000 years later, our world and our lives are consumed by distractions. Devices consume and permeate every aspect of our lives. We pick up our devices first thing in the morning and check them constantly throughout the day before looking one more time before going to bed. Are digital devices ruining our relationships with God, with the Bible, with our spouses, with our families, and with our worship services?
Can we be honest with ourselves and admit that time spent on devices has taken away from our time devoted to spiritual matters. We are told to “pray without ceasing” I Thessalonians 5:17, “hunger and thirst for righteousness” Matthew 5:6, and “meditate on these things” in I Timothy 4:15, or are we more interested in finding the next new app.
Unfortunately, our worship services have been impacted by these digital distractions. Phones are brought into the Bible classes and worship assemblies. They are not silenced and occasionally ring, distracting the entire service. To make matters worse, some get up to answer the calls and talk on the way out of the auditorium or classroom. Also, there is the temptation to use their phones for something other than Bible study. Checking e-mails, responding to text messages, glancing at the score of the game, or playing games are all done during worship services.
Our good works and examples before others are hindered by digital distractions. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16. Do visitors see us as “walking Bibles” or just like everyone else? Are we occupied and distracted with our smartphones?
We need to redeem the time we have left. We should put God first and set our minds on things above. We need to practice self-control when it comes to digital devices and distractions. It is sad when we must remind Christians to “silence” their smartphones when coming to worship God. Nahum Is found between Micah and Habakkuk for those who are still searching.
Written by Larry Schneider
