I Timothy 5:13
And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
What I was told (after our service): “That verse is talking about Facebook.”
I’m sure he was wrong. I’m sure people wouldn’t talk about frivolous / idle things, waste time, wander about from house to house profile to profile snooping in others personal lives, spreading stuff that doesn’t need to spread (about themselves or others). I’m sure they wouldn’t take idleness and gossip to such a level that they do it without even stirring to go from house to house, without even stirring from the chair in front of their computer. I’m sure people wouldn’t thoughtlessly say things they shouldn’t say.
Would they?
***
Note:
- I know Facebook can be used well, just like visiting someone else’s house can.
- This post is not intended to exonerate Twitter or other “social networking.” 🙂
Follow-up: What I Answered on Sunday
Mind Renewers 
Great reminder that courtesy and righteousness needs to be expressed in every facet of life. Thanks.
Thanks, Ian. It’s also a caution against idleness and mindless conversation, isn’t it?
Indeed. Idleness and mindless conversation can be a sneaky serpent at times.
I sure was tempted to “like” this, but just noticed WordPress made a change for the better. The option is no longer on the admin bar if you have disabled “likes” on your posts. It is still on the Reader, though, but this is a step in the right direction.
It was some time ago, I was convicted about viewing people’s profiles (from whatever websites) just for curiosity’s sake. It was feeling like I was snooping into their homes. About mindless conversations, I’ve deleted a few posts prior to publishing, because they ended up being rather rambling, not really going anywhere. I used to blog about anything and everything. Having one main topic, birds, has minimized my babblings, though I suppose I need others for their objective opinions. 🙂
I deleted my Facebook account years ago. It is a crazy world over there.
I’ve deleted some posts, too. 🙂
A lot of the stuff on Facebook and Twitter is mostly harmless, but really, should anyone care what you had for lunch or where you went shopping, etc? That’s not exactly “going from house to house,” that’s sending your house into everyone else’s, I guess. It’s pretty hard to see it as something we should be doing. It also, I think, tempts us to pride, to thinking that every little thing we do is important enough that people should care.
Some of my richest education in recent times has come from the Lord’s allowing me to labor over composing an article, simply to convict me upon its completion that it is good only for my personal enlightenment, followed by deletion prior to posting.
That also is a great point.
I currently have 73 articles in my “draft posts.” Some are just a sentence, a link, or an idea. But I have a lot of fully written (if not proofread / sharpened) articles that will, in many cases, never see the light of day, yet I profited by writing them.
I also have some things on my computer that haven’t even made it that far, yet. Most of my I Peter 3:15 series was written some time ago, and at the time I wrote it I wasn’t even sure I’d ever use it, but I wanted to sharpen up my thinking on it..
Things that make you go hmmmmm. LOL I love it…it’s all about looking at things differently. I find myself using facebook more to build up my ministry page, share scripture and to pray with and for others and less to dabble in my own profile. And I’m liking the way God is diverting my attention.
Well, as I said in my note at the bottom, it CAN be used well. 🙂
I would suppose, for someone using it for those purposes, you’d just have to be aware of the Facebook “culture” that so easily drifts into mindless / useless stuff, and make sure you don’t. Maybe ask someone to keep an eye on it for you.
I appreciate the care with which you applied the message. Seems to me that when we see younger Christians misbehaving it is our responsibility as members of the same body to gently admonish them and encourage them when they are doing well. In such a manner we can help to build up the body of Christ using even facebook (it’s more difficult where the social network limits the number of words we can post).
Well-stated, Hone. The conversation didn’t end with what I’ve said in this post — more in tomorrow morning’s post. Pastor Markle often jumps ahead of me with his comments (does that man read my mind, or what? :)), but you’ve done it this time with part of your comment. Maybe you’re related to him or something? 🙂