My friend, Gayle Metcalf, shared the following image today on her Facebook page.
My friend, Pastor Geoff Kirkland, posted an article today titled Lessons for Young Men, which included a charge to greater commitment to the Word of God.
The above items have been used by the Lord today to bring much conviction to my heart and mind. Great conviction.
My cell phone is with me wherever I go. It is my primary source of communication with the world: phone calls, text messages, emails, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, news outlets, the Weather Channel, traffic alerts, law enforcement alerts, my calendar, and Bluetooth for my GoPro camera. The only game on my phone is Chess.
The apps that are least often used on my phone are my Bible apps. I prefer the printed page over the electronic page for most of my reading, especially my Bible reading.
I am in my Bible every day, more often than not for the edification and evangelization of others. In other words, most of my time spent in the Bible is spent in preparation for writing articles and pulpit sermons, or preparing for sermons I preach in the open-air.
An ongoing challenge in my 27 years of Christian living is staying consistent in my Bible reading, for the purpose of worship and devotion.
Reading Pastor Geoff’s article and seeing the image Gayle posted this morning hit me like a ton of bricks.
Making even a cursory, side-by-side comparison today of my daily time on my cell phone with my daily time in my Bible has been shocking to me. Shocking. Appalling. Stomach churning. Discouraging. Convicting. I spend much more time on my phone than I do in my Bible.
I do take a Bible with me most places, but not everywhere. On the other hand, I take my phone everywhere. To be without my phone is like being without my house and car keys; it is like being without my wallet or my driver’s license. But I can’t say I have the same sense of incompleteness, or the sense of not being fully dressed, if I walk out of the house without my Bible the way I do with the before-mentioned items.
What does that say about me? What does that say about my love for the Word of God?
The above image is a picture of me holding my cell phone and a small Bible, which was given to me (ironically enough) by Pastor Geoff and Elizabeth Kirkland the last time I was guest in their home.
I have a preaching Bible. I have a number of study bibles. And I now have a specific use for the compact Bible the Kirklands gave me.
Like many people, if I have an idle moment (i.e. standing in line at a store, post office, or some other place; waiting for someone to return from a restaurant restroom; stopped at a red light while driving my car; etc.), I reach for my phone. I want to change that. In all of the before-mentioned moments and others, I want to start reaching for my Bible instead of my phone.
Ray Comfort often says, “If you find me without a gospel tract in my possession, I will give you $1,000.” Ray has yet to pay out to anyone.
While I will NOT give you $1,000, I welcome you to hold me accountable if you ever see me without a Bible (the one pictured above or another).
Now, I’m not trying to start a “thing.” Don’t join me in my conviction simply to be part of something. Carry a Bible. Don’t carry a Bible. That’s up to you. If you want to follow me as I try to follow Christ, then you’re welcome to join me in this simple effort to spend more time in the Word. Just know that if you decide to do it, you have NOT joined a new Christian club or fad.
If you do it, do it for only the right reasons.
Well, here it goes. I hope it lasts. Pray for me.
Good post. It is always good when a Christian man decides he wants to do better for the Lord.
It's not an excuse if you're convicted, but one reason we can leave the house without our Bible is that we've hidden it in our heart and we have the Holy Spirit to help us. So in a sense, my physical phone is more necessary than a physical Bible…at least from the standpoint that I can do Bible things (recall Scripture, pray) w/o a Bible in hand, but I can't call my wife w/o my phone.
That doesn't mean my phone use is acceptable though! I have started something similar; recently, I got a prayer notebook which I carry everywhere. I have found myself pulling that out instead of my phone and truly praying w/o ceasing (or at least I cease less than previous).
May God bless you on your quest to serve Him fully!
Tony, I posted it because it convicted me! I'm not always on the phone, and my phone does not provide me with social media, but I do love Pinterest and FB when I am home, I can actually get very sidetracked in my day looking for "one more idea" for teaching my little students or making cards, etc. Thank you for your encouraging words!