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Dear Smartphone Junkie:

I know it's ironic that I sent you this letter on your Facebook feed. It's the only way I could get your attention. You are always looking down at the phone instead of looking at the world that God has put in front of you. (By the way, you might want to read this after you stop your car.)

I see you almost daily mindlessly swiping the screen, clicking the links, and posting the pictures of yourself. Anymore it is as easy for you to swipe and click as it is for you to walk and breath.

It's sad because Christians are never called to do anything mindlessly. God has been too gracious to you in the gospel for you to do anything mindlessly.

What I mean by that is that Paul told the church at Philippi that you have been given "the mind of Christ." By the Spirit, God has renewed your mind and given you a new heart so that you can think differently and love differently than you ever have before.

Because of Jesus redemption, you should want to exercise your mind to walk in wisdom. You should want to spend time meditating on His Word.  Your desire should be to bring glory to God with our minds. Instead, you are carelessly meandering through life swiping, clicking, and placing your mind on cruise control.

That's why I bring up the phone in your hand. Every Christian should be aiming to use the technology in their life wisely instead of mindlessly. You should be asking questions "Should I be using a smartphone this much?"Or "Does this phone stir up my love or stifle my love for Jesus?"  Because if you don't stop to ask questions like these, you will be sitting in your bed tonight until 2am watching YouTube videos or pinning pictures of hairstyles on Pinterest. (Ouch, that hurt didn't it!)

Would you please stop to consider the dangers of how you use your phone?

A smartphone can be a blessing that gives you access to the Bible all day or a gateway to the trap of porn.

A smartphone can be a gift to connect to those who live far away from you on Facebook, or it can cause you to miss meaningful relationships right where you are.

In my own life, a smartphone can be a wonderful tool to connect me with the people I pastor, but it can also be a horrible distraction from my family.

To be honest with you, I write this post less as rebuke and more as a confession. I struggle with loving my phone more than spending time with the people around me. I would rather read a blog or check a sports score sometimes than engage with the world or read the Bible.

That's why I write this letter to you and to myself. We have to stop.

If we can't steward our phones for the glory of God and for the good of others, we don't need a one at all. And the same goes for Netflix, iPads, Facebook, Xbox, or any other technology that is distracting us from Jesus and his people.

One of the last things Jesus told us before he left was to "be on guard", to "stay awake" and "be ready" for he is coming back. And if we are not careful, our smartphones might be the greatest tool of the enemy to put us to sleep.

God is too beautiful. The Bible is too good. Relationships are too rich. Hell is too real. And People are too lost for us to devote our lives to our smartphones.

Can you wake up today? Can you renew the mind we have in Christ? Can you engage the world around you? Will you turn off your phone?

Powering off together,

A Smartphone Junkie Just Like You