2023-06-23 20:30:34
The theologian and writer John Piper recently addressed a topic that is quite relevant to the current context, which is the unbridled use of cell phones. According to the pastor, people are even failing to prioritize God in their lives due to the wrong way of using this technology.
Piper dealt with the topic in her traditional podcast, where everyday issues, some of which are controversial, are portrayed with simplicity and in a Christocentric way. One of them was precisely the practice of checking the cell phone as soon as the day begins.
Associating the practice with addiction to “sweets”, the pastor said that the increasingly common habit of checking the phone as soon as you wake up is due to three main motivations, namely: news, ego and entertainment.
As for the first motivation, he says that “most of us like to be the first to know something, and then we don’t have to take the humble posture of listening to something that smart, experienced and in-the-know people already know.”
“We want to be quick and know what’s new in the world. So, maybe we can assume the role of informants, and not poor ignorant people who need to be informed about what happened”, explains the theologian.
About the ego, Piper says that compulsively checking the cell phone, precisely social networks, reflects a personal desire for self-satisfaction mirrored in the favorable reaction of followers towards himself.
“Who retweeted us, mentioned us, liked us or followed us? In our fallen and sinful condition, there is a disorderly enjoyment of the human ego being attended to”, believes the pastor, stressing that, in terms of entertainment, “shocking photos and cute quotes, videos, stories and links” are the big draw.
Guidelines
Finally, Piper advises that God, not the cell phone, should be the top priority when starting the day. The pastor says that our thoughts must be focused, firstly, on gratitude to the Author of life and not to the events of the world, something that can be seen in a secondary way.
“What we want in the morning routine is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We want something that will give us zeal for the glory of Christ for the day’s work. We want to be strengthened to face whatever the day brings us”, says the pastor in the Desiring God.
“Let the first thing out of your mouth in the morning, while you’re still on your pillow, be a cry to God, ‘I love you, Lord. I need you, Lord. Help me Lord”. Hence, ‘prepare a sacrifice and watch.’ I think the sacrifice is my body and my attention dedicated to it”, he concludes.
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