DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

The online world can save time, keep us connected with our friends, help us with our homework and keep us entertained when we’re bored. But like everything else, it can open up not only a world of information, but a world of temptation. The question I ask myself each day is, If my digital footprint were a trail to follow, where would it lead others?

Even with all there is to do and find online, it can’t begin to compare with all that we have in Jesus because of His sacrifice: “everything we need for a godly life” (2 PETER 1:3). Sexual temptation and pornography are not the only dangers of the online world. With a screen to protect us, it’s easy to become a bully, to gossip, to show a fake life on our social media and to get involved in all sorts of things that are opposite to growing in “our knowledge of [God]” (V.3). The screens in our pockets can be really good. But they can also drag us further into “the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (V.4).

Today’s reading reminds us that we can resist the temptations we face, digital or otherwise, only by God’s “divine power” (V.3)—not by trying to follow a list of rules in our own limited strength. People who live by the promises of Jesus have faith in Him—and from that trust, their character, needs and wants change (VV.5-7). They don’t just ‘hope’ they’ll live well; they “make every effort” to trust their desires to Jesus (V.10).

Let’s rely on God’s Holy Spirit within us—one day at a time, one step at a time—by putting our focus on Jesus, not ourselves.

Thinking it over . . .

If your youth leader were to see your digital footprint, where would the trail lead them? Read Psalm 1:1-6 and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where your choices need to be directed by your love for Jesus and the Bible.