Today’s Scripture: Psalm 1
Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.
Today’s Devotional
We’re sticking with Psalm 1 for a few days. Sometimes it’s good to sit with a passage and re-read it over again. You never know what new insight the Holy Spirit might bring to you.
So, I have a Twitter problem. Well, maybe not a problem. But I do like to read things on my Twitter feed. It keeps me informed, points me to articles I might have missed otherwise, and to be honest entertains me. Yes, I have found that I need to be careful how much time I spend on Twitter. (I mean do I REALLY have to check it as often as I do sometimes?) But on the whole Twitter it’s not too bad – especially if you are careful who you follow.
But there is one thing about Twitter that really annoys me. I’ll call it the piling on effect. You see when someone gets going their words can spread through “re-tweets”. More and more people share the original tweet, often adding their own words of support. This then snowballs until thousands of people are chiming in – people who usually have not studied the issue or tried to see the other side.
Of course it’s rarely good things when blow up in this way. It usually starts with someone who is upset about something someone else did. Or, it’s making fun of something someone else did. Then comes the pile-on. I think the Psalmist would call it “joining in with mockers.”
Twitter and other social media make it easy to join in with mockers. But it was obviously a problem in the ancient Hebrew world as well. Here is Psalm 1 we are reminded that while joining the mob of mockers might make us feel temporarily good about ourselves, ultimately the happy person is the one who refrains from being part of the mocking mob.
Today’s Prayer
God forgive us for those times that we have joined in with mockers. Help us to be aware of when it’s happening around us and give us the strength to refrain and be our best, true selves in Christ.
Amen
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