People do not want to experience the moment today; they want to capture it. I should say, those with cell phones, for these items are perhaps one of the greatest forms of deceit and bondage on the planet today.
As with any invention of man, or with many at least, there are good and evil parts to their uses, but for the most part, profit is the reason for most of them coming into being. The first response of course when this conversational topic comes into play is the need for one in case of an emergency, and these do of course occur, but they are so rare in occurrence for the majority of the holders of these devices that they are barely worth mentioning.
Next, they will address, or attempt to address, the need to stay in contact with those they love, admirable, but again when questioned upon this point, their own flaws in this response can easily be shown to them. Excuse after excuse, and when all avenues are traversed on the supposed need, this connection that they hold for this device, one will find that those individuals are addicted to their phones, no less than a junkie is to heroin. They want to be connected, and it matters not to who or what, they want information, useless or not, it is at its root an insecurity issue, of being left out of the crowd.
Occasionally my lovely wife and I watch short videos produced by a self-proclaimed mountain man who speaks of individuality on a regular basis, one who keeps a phone on his person while he is in the woods. Did you notice the contradiction there? “The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.” (Prov. 21:12)
The traps of the world are not seen by those who live in the world, and few who claim Christ can do the same, they are consumed with capturing the moment, but not with, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
I have attempted, in vain it seems like, to alert people not to the coming wrath of the Lord, not to the rapture, but to what is their rightful duty, to serve the Lord with fear and trembling, (Psalm 2:11) but my words sound hollow to them. They are far too concerned with the now, the temporal, the world and their place in it. Churches find games and activities for the youth to do so they will continue to be entertained, but leave sound Biblical doctrine at the door, the pastors try to find interesting videos of what is happening in the world today to do the same for those adults that still sit in their pews, hopefully not spending too much time on their cell phones, and if they are, keeping the volume at a low level.
The traps and deceits of Satan are no less subtle today than they were in the garden all those centuries ago, anything and everything to keep our eyes off the cross, and away from Malachi 6:8, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”
To remain in constant contact, it is the go-to excuse, it is the need to feel needed and necessary, and it will never be found. They are as easily led around as a herd of cattle. The attempt to capture the moment, to stay in constant contact, to be kept aware of all that they can in the world is an excellent ploy if one wants to keep someone’s eyes off of Christ, and it is working on billions of people on the planet right now. To get someone’s attention is quite easy, to capture their attention and keep it is another matter altogether, for that they must be willing participants.
Ask yourself this question, all that you have used that cell phone for in the last year, how much of it has brought glory to God, how much of what you have used it for in the last year will be in the kingdom of God?
To answer your unasked question to me, our phone hands on the wall of our living room, we have an answering machine just below it, and I cannot recall the last time I answered it when it rang, much less paid any real attention to it.
