Check Ur Lens- Tele Style

If you missed last week’s post be sure to check it out! Asking the question: What is your relationship with sugar like? And, is it disconnecting you from Jesus the Christ?  

It was for me… A week in, I have been allowing myself to desire God – instead of 7-Eleven. Real spiritual, I know. But I’m finding the courage to dream with God in that place. What if healing for the headache in 7-Eleven is the way of being satisfied in God as opposed to the Slurpee I’m reaching for? The “what if” question is coming out of the courage to risk my heart with God! Would you join me in risking on God? I want to challenge you these next few weeks to trust that God is more satisfying than sugar!  

So, what about our phones – or the supercomputer in our pockets that have enabled endless access to anything? 

What’s your relationship like with your phone? How’s it impacting your life today?

Again, this is the moment where I can convince you of something that you can google for yourself.  I will resist.  Turns out, my relationship with my phone is just as twisted as the next person’s. Rather, let’s invite Jesus to show us our hearts.  

I woke up the other day, turning off my phone alarm and the homepage had a prompt to open the internet explorer app. It said, “Often used right after alarm.”    

Great – so my phone is telling me that more often than not, the first thing I do when I wake up is access the inter webs?  For what?!?!?!  Did something happen that I need to discover at 5:15am?  

There are plenty of things you could make up in this moment to convince yourself or others of something. Or you could ask the question to Jesus himself. What’s my relationship with my phone? He’s the one that see’s my heart, and my motives. And He is always for me!

So, this week, I embraced courage and asked Jesus to show me. And He did:  

The 10-minute drives when I would throw on a podcast or the YouTube machine; the extended trips to the bathroom to check out sudoku; the mindless scrolling through the news or sosh meeds at 8pm when I’m tired…

Jesus showed me that I’m using these outlets to satisfy my internal desires – the same way I would with a sugar. 

He’s been reminding me of that text in Psalm 16 that we have been meditating on: “You fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

What could it look like if we risked our hearts with the reality of this text, over the quick fixes that our phones offer? Would you join me this week in the risk?  

Simply ask the Lord to show you your relationship with your phone. The Kingdom of God satisfies. What would it look like if we not only enjoyed it for ourselves, but freely offered it everywhere we went? Our city would be blessed – let’s get it, Church. 

Love you deeply and am honored to be in this House.

-Austin Hoxie (@csucrossguy)