So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…. Colossians 3:23

This past Sunday I preached a sermon on doing everything to the glory of God.  And I have to say, it’s having an impact… on me. Hopefully all my messages are like that.  I never want to be unchanged by a sermon.  And as dry, theologically abstract or boring we might find a preacher, if we’re open and he’s teaching from the Bible, there’s always something that the Spirit of God can use to transform our lives.  It’s part of God’s promise to his people.

… so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11

God speaks through his word, which is living and active (Hebrews 4:12).  The Bible promises that the Spirit of God will take the word of God and “guide us into all the truth” (John 16:13). And just like you can listen to a symphony on an old scratchy record player and still hear the music, God uses flawed and sometimes tedious preaching to deliver his message.

The difference for me this past week, is that I’m usually impacted before I deliver the sermon.  In the process of thinking, preparing, and praying over a Bible passage, the Holy Spirit invariably points out multiple areas of my life that need realignment before I even get to Sunday.  But for this past week, it seems like most of the impact has been after.

If you were away for the holiday or don’t attend Bethany, the point of the sermon was:  Everything, sacred & secular, important and unimportant, seen and unseen can/should glorify God (that is, point to or reflect on who God is). And as I’ve been just living life these past few days, I’ve been both blessed and challenged by this truth.

Immediately after service on Sunday, Justin and I took off for my dad’s cabin up state.  I’ve been trying to take a more active role in caring for the property to hopefully take a little weight off my dad.  So, after mowing and trimming around the cabin, I thought, “Wow, this looks great. I know it will all grow back. But it means something. It reflects well God’s order and perfection.” And after a particularly frustrating interaction with the old Ford 3000 tractor: “Well, that thought/response/reaction wasn’t worthy of the image of God in me!”  And this morning back home as I woke up, I felt energized to get to the church to see how my day would unfold to make God look good. In both small and significant ways, being mindful of God’s glory has enriched and grown me already this week.

Which brings me to X / Twitter.  I’m done. I’ve deleted the account. It’s not building me up and it’s NOT glorifying God.

Although I’ve had an account for years, I’ve not been active on the platform until recently. I almost never post. My intention was to follow politicians, pundits and notable Christians and theologians to get some real-time commentary on current events and issues.   It hasn’t worked out that way.

Instead, I get a continuous stream of outrage, anger, lies, mockery, and contempt mixed with an occasional video clip of people in faraway places making food I’ll probably never eat.  I’m not sure what’s up with the algorithm, but my feed is 95% garbage where “real” and “unvarnished” means vulgar and ungodly and “freedom of speech” is a code-word for unhinged rants and name calling.

And here’s the thing.  I log on several times a day and stay for way longer than I should.  But it’s hard to put it down…  each scroll reveals a new outrage for me to be shocked, angry, or disappointed at.  This is not good. This does not glorify God.

Back when I was in Bible college and in my early Christian life, I was mired in legalism and the weight of every little thing reflecting God’s glory… or not, felt like a heavy burden to bear.  Consumed with introspection, I’d end each day feeling like I was a miserable failure and God was disappointed.  Did I REALLY honor God with my actions and attitudes?  Couldn’t it have been better?

But since I’ve encountered and grown in the grace of God, things have changed.  My identity and standing with Christ is secure.  I’m his beloved son and recognizing that everything in life is an opportunity to bring God glory has infused the mundane parts of life with meaning.  Even unloading the dishwasher, vacuuming out the car, or organizing my tool bench (which I loathe) can be acts of worship.

So, goodbye, X/Twitter.  New York Times and Fox News, be on notice; you may be next. Life’s too short to scroll it away. And with the time I save, I’m going to go make my messy garage shine for Jesus.