In John 16:33 Jesus said “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Please allow me to share a concern that has changed our lives without us realizing it, and I believe if we’re not careful, we could get comfortable (if we’re not already) and become complacent; and when we’re chastised by God, we’ll think it’s the devil tormenting us instead. We may not even realize it’s actually God trying to draw us back to Him!

Think back to the time when telephones did not have recordings on them, so when we were outside or not home, they just rang. We’d come home and get involved in our home life without any messages to return! Peace reigned (until the phone rang)!

Think back when we could drive to work with or without the radio on, and if it was off, there was peace and we could think of what we were going to cook when we got home or what we needed from the store, or even pray if we wanted to without the dang phone ringing. People have died trying to handle their cell phone in the car.

Do you recall when there was a little bit of relaxed time between conversations with people? Instead of constantly turning from one conversation to the next, there used to be some free space where our mind could ramble on our own personal thoughts instead of being intruded by others!

The rate of speed between events and conversations exceeds our own strength and abilities, and inventors are coming up with drinks to extend our bodies beyond healthy limits (sacrificing sleep and immunities derived from it), and people are coming down with cancer, diseases and infirmities faster than they can get into doctor’s offices. Did you know cancer can be caused by stress?

Cell phones have taken away our free time, and believe it or not, we can retrieve it, if we could use some restraint and turn them off. My point?

How much quality time with God have some of us lost? Have we reached a “comfort zone” because everyone has gotten used to the rush routine that we’re now complacent with the amount of time we spend with God, and have replaced that time with Him with other “more important” things, which are really idols, if you want to know the truth. Anything considered important enough to sacrifice our own health is an idol. In John 6:63 Jesus said “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” And it is written in Proverbs 4:20-22 “20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

So, if we’re God’s children, He will continue to chastise us because He’s trying to teach us that He is a jealous God.

Exodus 20 “1And God spake all these words, saying,

2I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

6And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

So, I wonder if we could leave our cell phones at home? What would happen? It would cut off our contact with people. Could we think by ourselves? Could we make a decision on our own? Our contact with God should be as important. Do you take your bible with you everywhere you go? Would you go back for it if you forgot it? We should speak to God as often as we use our phones. And our bibles should be in our left hand if our cell phone is in our right. We should be constantly talking to God, asking Him what He thinks about our problems, instead of others.

We may not be bowing down to our cell phones, but we should ask ourselves if we are serving it.