I think most of us have been in a situation where we were looking for something and could not find it. I know that wives and mothers can relate to this. I’m sure they have heard the desperate request from their husband in the closet: “Honey, where’s my shirt?” And her response is something like: “It’s hanging right in front of you!” Now we all know how the conversation goes. I heard one speaker blame this on a missing gene in the male genome…unable to see something that is right in front of them!
Now I am picking on us men, but there is a spiritual danger in this funny illustration that we should all think about. It is our blind spots to the consequences of our choices. Solomon alluded to this spiritual risk, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20). If you are a student of Scripture you may be thinking of other passages like Paul’s exhortation, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”” (1 Corinthians 15:33). Or King David’s encouragement, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”(Psalm 1:1–2).
I am sure that we all think we see the danger…but do we? Now, my life as a pastor is surrounded for the most part by those who love Jesus and are working to live for him. But I also know that many of our “modern friends” in an internet connected world can take advantage of our blind spots. This is very obvious with click bait, those enticing portions of media that tempt us to click. The danger is not only from web pages but also from content providers like Facebook, Youtube, Netflix, Instagram or the latest social media apps. The simple walking of our finger clicks leads to standing at a site, consuming media that is feeding our flesh. Then, before we know it was are sitting in the midst of a host of internet scoffers that have commandeered our time and our hearts. Now, just like in real life, not all friends are evil, but many are and the undisciplined individual will “suffer harm.
We need to open our eyes to see these evil companions who are smothering us with tantalizing content. The solution today is just the same as it was in King David’s day. “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2b). I have found memorizing verses like Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” reminds me to be on guard. (You might want to also consider: Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 22:37; Romans 8:5-7; Romans 12:2; Galatians 6:7-8; 1 Peter 5:8).
We also need to enlist the spiritual eyes of others in our lives to help us see what we are missing. A wise person will take advantage of others’ help so we can see the shirt hanging right in front of our eyes.
-Pastor Joe Parkinson