And I grant you that it would be fun for a couple of days, but after that it would just get in the way.
When I was younger I wanted it because I thought, like many do these days, that it would make them important and significant. But that's a lie.
I'm talking about fame. To be famous is the goal of so many. You can see it on social media. You can see it by the way reality shows are everywhere. And once someone gets famous in this way, people flock to them.
But they aren't flocking to them. They are flocking to the fame (you can tell this is the truth by the way the crowds will turn so quickly against the famous -- one day the chosen celebrity is perfect. The next day that same person has become scum).
I never understood why Jesus would tell people, after He's healed them, not to tell others He is the Messiah. When I'd read this I'd think, wouldn't it be a good thing for them to broadcast to the world who Jesus was? Demons knew who He was too. He told them to be silent.
I get it now. Fame got in the way. They began flocking to Jesus for the miracles, for their own image of what the Messiah should be. By looking at this stuff they'd miss the truth. They didn't really see Jesus. They saw what they wanted to see.
Our Father God works in secret, behind the scenes, in the silence. Seek Him there. Matthew 6 is a great chapter. In this chapter we are told Father God sees in secret. He hears our prayers in secret. We could say He is found in the secret place.
Isaiah 45:3 mentions "hidden wealth of secret places."
Psalm 31:20 says, "in the secret place of Thy presence."
If you go back to Matthew 6 it really is talking about fame vs. Father God's ways.
We even have our Christian celebrities -- teachers and preachers in the Christian culture who people flock to just like people flock to celebrities in all other areas of life. Flock is the perfect word -- a description of sheep behavior.
Fame is not bad. It just is. But it isn't something we should seek because it can get in the way of real relationships. To do things God's way means to do things completely opposite how the world tells us to do things. We need to look at things God's way. If fame comes to our lives it just needs to be seen as a by-product of the path God has put us on.
If you have social media accounts (and if you're reading this you probably do), ask yourself why you post what you post. Social media platforms are very powerful and they are used by God in mighty ways. But they also can elevate self and put our eyes on people rather than Jesus. What would happen if all Believers used social media to bring God glory rather than hoping to get noticed by the world?
In my opinion a few things I think are great about social media is being able to share prayer requests (but they really need to be shared in a sensitive way), answers to prayers and scripture. I also think it's great to share things that make people think or give people information that is helpful. I also enjoy seeing pictures of those people I love and that too can be good.
There are no rules as to what to share and what not to share. We just need to be in prayer about it all. For social media is a powerful tool and it will become more powerful as the years go by.