Friday, August 30, 2024 at 7 P.M. I was just sitting and reflecting. I had finished my Bible reading an hour earlier. I was preparing to turn on the T.V. when the Lord spoke to me and said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of you.” I knew the verse well but had to look up the address of the scripture. It’s Matthew 18:20. As I sat and listened, more explanation was given to me as to His insight for sharing this specific scripture.
So often we see and hear those who profess Christ get into in depth discussions as if they have been sent to discuss these things by the Lord himself. We see it in our places of worship and in many facets of our travels. But where it’s most often seen and abused is on social media sites. Ministers of the Gospel, to those who’ve been following Jesus, to those who just want to share their opinion, all try to get their view known. Some to their own detriment or to the hurt of those they try to inject their opinion. So many experts on what the Word says, yet too often colored with one’s own strongly determined bent. Galatians 6:3 says, “If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” There are way too many experts with opinions that seem to fade quickly when exposed to His light.
We seem to forget that yes, when we do come together and bandy about His name, even on social media, He truly is there in our midst, and I’m sure He’s not always pleased as to how we represent Him. Jesus quoted Isaiah in Mark 7:6-7 saying, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of Men.” He was speaking to hypocrites. Too often we can enter a discussion with wrong motives. We need to get our view heard. We feel we must respond to some post and get the writer, and those who share their views, to hear what you feel can be the only correct answer or opinion. I find myself responding less and less to what I see even among those I once always read and found to have good points to make. We neglect the warnings of Christ who warned us in Matthew 7 and proceed without caution. Seemingly unaware that out of our hearts proceed evil thoughts, deceit, wickedness, blasphemy and prideful ways all contrary to Him. Our stubborn refusal to believe that just because we were taught certain things in our upbringing or in our church life, doesn’t not mean that there is not error in our processing. It can often boil down to the most simplistic explanation. “A good man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) We must discern what is correct in our hearing Him.
We often do not realize that we must give an account of what we say. And by our words we will be justified or condemned. (Matthew 12:37) I can honestly say that over the years I’ve seen people believe something, and years later hold a different view. In politics, it’s called flip-flopping. In the Word of God, we often find it was based on what another person said or taught. We must delve into His word that we may be enlightened and strengthened. Psalm 19 says His word makes wise the simple. If we truly look at the content of many discussions on social media, we may come to realize that yes, the Lord’s name was mentioned and scripture was cited, but then things went astray. And too late we may become aware that yes, He was in our midst, but as things turned, He left. And yet we still go on with mindless and often incorrect banter, fully believing we are representing Him with the expressing of our views and interpretations. Thankfully, the Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy.
We need to remember and be aware that He is in our midst and our words and deeds are used as a representation of who He is. And that we are often wrong in how we represent Him. We say that we believe in Him and our actions show whether or not that is true. Jesus said in John 7:38, “He who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Blessings.
Stand My Watch 