Friday, April 10, 2026
Continual Distraction to Impress Others
When someone is constantly reading or checking their phone while in your presence, it is clear they wish they were somewhere else than with you.
Also, I get the sense that this continual phone activity is a way of boasting without saying a word. "Look at how many friends I have and how busy my life is when I am not with you."
It sends a message that the person in front of them is an obligation and not a priority.
When we see someone checking their phone continually and boasting about those people on the other end, but not asking any questions about you or rarely commenting on what you have said, it is a strong clue that the visit is obligatory. God spoke of this in His word, showing His dismay at false friendships.
Matthew 15:8-9 "8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
In the days when the phone in a home was attached to the wall the lunches at restaurants could develop into meaningful communication because there were no distractions. When the people on the other end of the phone always take priority over those in front of them, they are sending the message that they would rather be with those people than with you.
Meaningful conversations take time without distractions and mutual interest in the lives of those in front of us. When our attention is continually disrupted, there can be no closeness with the people who are right in front of us.
Also, let me suggest that those who spend a lot of time on the phone are using the phone as a means to boast about how busy their lives are and how much other people like them. I guess I might identify it as a subtle form of "humble bragging." Boasting without blatantly expressing it.
Perhaps I am sensitive to this new phenomenon of the cell phone because of what I witnessed in high school 55 years ago. The popular people always had a beehive of people around them all the time, and anyone not in the click was treated with disregard, as though they didn't matter.
Cliques lead to bullying, even if only in subtle ways that make people feel inferior to others. They also lead to gossip that demeans others merely on the basis of guesses and wishes that someone were as they want to believe, always leading to self-exaltation.
Sadly, we live in the end times in which self-glorification is promoted while humility is seen as weakness. The interesting truth is that the need for self-glorification exposes the insecurity of those who must have it to feel worthy of attention. These people do not care about love; they just want to be revered.
It is humility that expresses the secure and confident person who has no need to be elevated in the eyes of others.
Ephesians 4 "4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."
There can be no love without humility.
Philippians 2:3 "doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;"
Colossians 2:18 "18 Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in false humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,"
Colossians 3:12 "Put on therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance."
Authentic humility can only come from Christ in us. He develops a heart of humility that is demonstrated in actions that are real without manipulation or self-exaltation.
When we become secure in Christ, we will not need the approval of others. We do not depend on others for validation because Christ in us is all that we need all the time.
Also, I get the sense that this continual phone activity is a way of boasting without saying a word. "Look at how many friends I have and how busy my life is when I am not with you."
It sends a message that the person in front of them is an obligation and not a priority.
When we see someone checking their phone continually and boasting about those people on the other end, but not asking any questions about you or rarely commenting on what you have said, it is a strong clue that the visit is obligatory. God spoke of this in His word, showing His dismay at false friendships.
Matthew 15:8-9 "8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
In the days when the phone in a home was attached to the wall the lunches at restaurants could develop into meaningful communication because there were no distractions. When the people on the other end of the phone always take priority over those in front of them, they are sending the message that they would rather be with those people than with you.
Meaningful conversations take time without distractions and mutual interest in the lives of those in front of us. When our attention is continually disrupted, there can be no closeness with the people who are right in front of us.
Also, let me suggest that those who spend a lot of time on the phone are using the phone as a means to boast about how busy their lives are and how much other people like them. I guess I might identify it as a subtle form of "humble bragging." Boasting without blatantly expressing it.
Perhaps I am sensitive to this new phenomenon of the cell phone because of what I witnessed in high school 55 years ago. The popular people always had a beehive of people around them all the time, and anyone not in the click was treated with disregard, as though they didn't matter.
Cliques lead to bullying, even if only in subtle ways that make people feel inferior to others. They also lead to gossip that demeans others merely on the basis of guesses and wishes that someone were as they want to believe, always leading to self-exaltation.
Sadly, we live in the end times in which self-glorification is promoted while humility is seen as weakness. The interesting truth is that the need for self-glorification exposes the insecurity of those who must have it to feel worthy of attention. These people do not care about love; they just want to be revered.
It is humility that expresses the secure and confident person who has no need to be elevated in the eyes of others.
Ephesians 4 "4 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."
There can be no love without humility.
Philippians 2:3 "doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;"
Colossians 2:18 "18 Take care that no one keeps defrauding you of your prize by delighting in false humility and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,"
Colossians 3:12 "Put on therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance."
Authentic humility can only come from Christ in us. He develops a heart of humility that is demonstrated in actions that are real without manipulation or self-exaltation.
When we become secure in Christ, we will not need the approval of others. We do not depend on others for validation because Christ in us is all that we need all the time.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Respect Cannot Be Forced
Amen, we cannot force anyone to respect us, but we can always live with dignity even if no one treats us with regard. One Person we always have who will love us is Jesus Christ Who lives in us.
Too often, we worry about what others think of us more than we praise God for His love for us. The people don't matter in terms of how they treat us, but Jesus Christ is everything.
There is no reason to complain when we know Christ has our back and everything we go through, He not only sees but has a purpose for us and possibly others.
Romans 8:28 "28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."
Hallelujah!!!!! Christ is everything and everything else is a lesson for Spiritual growth.
Too often, we worry about what others think of us more than we praise God for His love for us. The people don't matter in terms of how they treat us, but Jesus Christ is everything.
There is no reason to complain when we know Christ has our back and everything we go through, He not only sees but has a purpose for us and possibly others.
Romans 8:28 "28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose."
Hallelujah!!!!! Christ is everything and everything else is a lesson for Spiritual growth.
Surviving the Culture as we Walk with Christ
When a society and a government demand that they handle their own affairs without Christ, He will turn them over to their own governance, take his help and hands off, and let them have what they want, which will destroy them.
I know there are those who want to "get America back" as it was 100 years ago, but what they forget is that God will not help a rebellious nation to achieve the preservation of their pleasures and spiritually wasteful lifestyle.
Ask almost any "Christian" today what they want to preserve about America, and the answers will sound a little like this;
Save our borders, our economy, our freedom, eliminating abortion, staving off some immorality, but not all of it. You will not hear anything about individuals repenting and almost nothing about the gospel of Christ. Everything is based on personal safety and freedom without Spiritual lessons and dedication to Christ.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
When speaking with many Christians today, I see the dedication to their rituals, their holidays, and their personal freedom more than anything else. Very little conversation based on personal introspection to expunge from their lives any sinful desires they may have, even if they do not act them out.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, / influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
There is a form of Christianity in our churches that speaks lots of swelling words but has little if any devotion to Jesus Christ. They develop their own "religious ideas" and tack Christ on the end as though He was the author merely because they declared His name.
Titus 1:10-11 "For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not."
Romans 16:17-18 "Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive."
The challenges of today, as we navigate through superficial Christianity, are to remain staunch in the mind of Christ so that we are not sucked into the familiar ways and speech we hear regularly all the time.
Sometimes it's easier to become like those around us, so we don't have to deal with the disrespect and isolation that occurs when we do not think like the culture.
When we become comfortable with not being supported or accepted is the day our freedom and wisdom grow. We love the people but only those who walk with us in faith and truth will be those who will understand.
May the Lord give us strength during these times of leanness of friends, and may the Lord Jesus Christ in us be enough to sustain us. Hallelujah!!!!
I know there are those who want to "get America back" as it was 100 years ago, but what they forget is that God will not help a rebellious nation to achieve the preservation of their pleasures and spiritually wasteful lifestyle.
Ask almost any "Christian" today what they want to preserve about America, and the answers will sound a little like this;
Save our borders, our economy, our freedom, eliminating abortion, staving off some immorality, but not all of it. You will not hear anything about individuals repenting and almost nothing about the gospel of Christ. Everything is based on personal safety and freedom without Spiritual lessons and dedication to Christ.
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
When speaking with many Christians today, I see the dedication to their rituals, their holidays, and their personal freedom more than anything else. Very little conversation based on personal introspection to expunge from their lives any sinful desires they may have, even if they do not act them out.
1 Timothy 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, / influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron."
There is a form of Christianity in our churches that speaks lots of swelling words but has little if any devotion to Jesus Christ. They develop their own "religious ideas" and tack Christ on the end as though He was the author merely because they declared His name.
Titus 1:10-11 "For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not."
Romans 16:17-18 "Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive."
The challenges of today, as we navigate through superficial Christianity, are to remain staunch in the mind of Christ so that we are not sucked into the familiar ways and speech we hear regularly all the time.
Sometimes it's easier to become like those around us, so we don't have to deal with the disrespect and isolation that occurs when we do not think like the culture.
When we become comfortable with not being supported or accepted is the day our freedom and wisdom grow. We love the people but only those who walk with us in faith and truth will be those who will understand.
May the Lord give us strength during these times of leanness of friends, and may the Lord Jesus Christ in us be enough to sustain us. Hallelujah!!!!
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