“Social Media” Daily Devotional – Day 14

 

“Social MEdia”  Daily Devotional – Day 14

 

 

 “Social Breathing”

 

 

Todays Scripture :

2 Tim 1:16 (TLB)

“May the Lord bless Onesiphorus and all his family, because he visited me and encouraged me often. His visits revived me like a breath of fresh air”

 

 

Have you ever been driving down the road, minding your own business, and all of a sudden, that smell – you know that smell, invades your air filtration system?  Whether its a freshly semi-tire squeezed skunk, or some finely-aged road-kill, it pollutes every breath of air in your entire vehicle for at least the next mile.  In the same way, we all emit a type of “atmosphere” by the words we speak and the attitudes we project, adding to or taking away from the quality of “air” that people breath in when they are around us.

 

If you think about it for a moment, you’ll be able to recall times where you have walked into a room, and felt like the Apostle Paul in the scripture above, like you just breathed in a breath of ‘fresh air”.  But, I’m sure you will also recall social environments where the atmosphere was stale, stuffy, and downright stinky! 

 

As Christ Followers, our goal should be to create an atmosphere just like Onesiphorus, an atmosphere of “Fresh Air”.  The actual word for “Holy Spirit” in the old and new testaments both is translated “breath”, “wind”, or a “blast of air”, or one could say, a breath of fresh air.  So every time the Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit of God moving in and through our lives, it paints this picture of God taking a deep breath and blowing a wind of fresh air into our lives.

 

In the book of Ephesians, (4:32) the Bible says –

“Let the Spirit (breath of God) renew your thoughts and attitudes.

“…..imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ”    (5:1-2)

 

 

So, we are to allow the breath of God, the “Fresh Air” of the Holy Spirit into our lives each day so our thoughts and attitudes can be renewed.  Then, we are asked to imitate God in everything, which means we are also suppose to be a breath of fresh air in the peoples lives that God puts in our path each and every day.  This includes social media posts, replies and comments, but also our conversations at work, home, school and church.

 

When we decide to allow the fresh breath of God into our lives on a daily basis, we begin to create an atmosphere around us of fresh air, just like Onesiphorus, that can revive and refresh those who breath it in. That atmoshere of “Fresh Air” tends to create certain attitudes and traits in people.

 

Some of these traits are:

 

• Savoring each day as a gift

• Drawing others to themselves

• Relishing each new day as a day of promise, hope, opportunity, and optimism

• Rarely complaining or dwelling on losses

• Remembering the past but  not being tied to it

• Enjoying the present

• Anticipating the future

• Having influence and using it to encourage and shape others

 

 

These are the traits we should exhibit as people who allow the breath of God into our lives, and then back out to refresh others.  So, let’s ask ourselves this question today –  “Am I communicating these qualities through my conversations about others, through my relationships, in my social environments, and through my social media posts?”

 

If not, then maybe it’s time to take a step back, connect with God, and allow Him to breathe a breath of “Fresh Air” into your life today. He’ll do it if you ask. He loves to do it. He’s waiting to do it.

 

 

Let’s Pray – Dear God, breathe a breath of Fresh Air into me today!  Let it refresh me, encourage me, and change the atmosphere around me so others can be encouraged as well.  Let me be like the man in the scripture above, that whenever anyone was around him, they felt refreshed and revived, like they were breathing a breath of fresh air.  Help me to communicate the traits listed above in all of my social interactions today. In Jesus name, Amen!