Text Message

By Pastor Al Goracke

I’m a 20th century man, living in the 21st century. 80’s music is loaded on my I-pod, my hair style is the same (with less hair) as it was in the 80’s, and I struggle with the idea of whether or not to tuck my shirt into my pants. Oh yeah, I’m a 20th century man.

I have however, embraced the 21st century as far as technology goes. Technology makes life convenient. I have been “texting” for about a year now. I used to think I would never utilize text messaging. I had thought if I wanted to communicate with someone, it seemed to me that calling them on the phone was the best approach. I was wrong. Sometimes a short text message gets the point across in a way that actually a phone call cannot. Last month I “texted” 89 times to people. In contrast, my son Andrew, in the same time period, texted 7,065 times.

There are 66 books in the bible. These 66 “text messages” are designed specifically for each of us. God wants each of us to know Him through His “text message”.

Here are three things that happen to me when I don’t read God’s “text message”.

When I don’t read God’s “text message”, I tend to focus on other people’s stuff. When I don’t read the bible I have a tendency of being critical of others. It’s almost like I lose focus of my own shortcomings and I just concentrate on other people’s mistakes. When I read the bible however, God speaks to me about my own failings in life. God shows me through the bible that I am not perfect in my own walk with Him.

When I don’t read God’s “text message”, I tend to get negative. I get negative because I am not putting God’s positive promises into my head and into my heart. I forget that God says things like, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). When I put God’s positive promises into my mind, I can’t help but be optimistic.

When I don’t read God’s “text message”, sometimes I feel anxious. Anxiety is the fear of the unknown. God’s text message says, that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). When I read the bible God somehow injects His love into my heart and He dissolves my fears and anxiety. His love is continually revealed when I read the bible.

This is the month to start “texting”. This is the month to get serious about reading the bible. Perhaps God is asking you today, “Did you get my text?”