Social Media; Glorifying God Or Yourself?

 How many Christians are caught up in this mess of trying to show the world how much fun you are having, how many trips you’ve gone on, how cute your family is?  How many folks scroll through Facebook and see how perfect and successful their friends appear only to walk away feeling like you are less than they are?  We know it’s a fact that the more time folks spend looking at others, the more depressed they become.  Think about it.  Is all this posting of everything you are doing really helping out the Kingdom?

**********************

But should we be more wary about our social media presence? Are we celebrating God-honoring things or are we boasting and promoting our own success? While we fashion perfect posts to elicit the right amount of positive feedback, are we not seeking a bit of envy in others?

A fair number of our friends and followers may not be Christians, but they know we are.  Do they view our prideful posts as proof that we are as conceited and materialistic as the rest of the world? God knew social media would be a 21st Century tool for good or evil. The question we must ask ourselves is how are we using it to promote ourselves instead of our faith?

Are we sharing things that build others up, or only ourselves? Are we inflating our self-worth to become more popular and desirable—or are we seeking to use social media to advance God’s purpose? There is a line that we cross where we reveal our pride in all its ugliness. I have crossed that line plenty of times to know better. Perhaps if I memorized Proverbs 27:2 it would help: “Don’t praise yourself. Let someone else do it. Let the praise come from a stranger and not your own mouth.”

Then there are the battles waged on social media. As Christ-followers, when we share over-zealous posts about politics, share vitriolic opinions, and then get caught up in any of the current media firestorms, we only serve to make us appear like we are part of the problem without any solutions.  This is not our true calling from God. Instead, we should put our posts through the fruit of the spirit editing process: Does it show love, joy, peace. patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? (Galatians 5:22-23).

What is most concerning in our social media life is the idea that we can self-promote ourselves to a place where God never intended us to be. When we can buy followers and inflate our worth in the social media world, it is totally possible to fool ourselves into thinking we’ve made it—we’re famous in our own eyes. But this promotion is doomed to fail. We know how God feels about pride: “Pride leads to destruction; a proud attitude brings ruin.” Proverbs 16:18

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/social-media-are-you-glorifying-god-or-yourself.html