Check out other Reading and Listening posts here.
Why Our Attention Needs Stewardship – TGC
We can navigate a noisy world with peace rather than guilt. We can understand the limited nature of our attention and choose to focus it, set it, and steward it wisely. We can cling to God’s Word as David did, and we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us employ the beauty of our very design to faithfully choose obedience. Do our minutes scrolling online and waiting in line bring glory to you, God? How can we honor you with our attention? Setting our minds and seeking the help of the Spirit is a wise place to begin.
The Cure for Envy – Lore Wilbert
When I finally decide to sit with that feeling of envy for a few minutes, to let the Lord do some work in me, repent for the sin but also receive healing for the hurt that led me there, what I realize deep within me is that beneath that envy there is a deep and dark and pervasive desire for approval. And this, my friends, is my besetting sin. I want everyone to like me, approve of me, think I’m kind and generous and patient. I want them to see me the way my closest friends see me. I want them to never feel disappointed by me. I want them to never leave me. I would rather sit in the stagnancy of inaction and sloth than to try and fail and alienate those whose approval I want.
How Do I Stop Overthinking Everything? – Cal Newport
Cal Newport answers a question about dealing with overthinking. Cal explains the right/wrong decision binary. This is the belief that there is great reward for the right choice and great pain for the wrong choice.
No Offense, But Why Are We So Easily Offended? – Scott Sauls
There are surely going to be times when we will disagree with others, sometimes in a passionate way. A follower of Jesus is by definition a person who carries certain convictions. Yet when we must disagree, being steadfast in our loyalty to Jesus demands that we not be disagreeable as people. When people assume a different viewpoint than ours, we are never to hold them in contempt. Scorn and disdain and a chip on the shoulder are not Christian virtues. Rather, they are Pharisaical vices. They may at times contribute to winning an argument, but they will never win a person. A disagreeable spirit is not the way that Jesus intends for his followers to engage in disagreements and debates.
Scrolling Alone – TGC
Younger sisters, you are good, made that way by Jesus. Your life is good, full of meaning and direction, created that way by God. You don’t have to shape or create an identity that is already yours. You might choose to get off social media—along with Kaylee and Avery, I can tell you what a relief it is to walk away. Or you might choose to use it as a platform from which to speak gospel truth. Either way, if you are rooted in Jesus, you are living a good life.
Photo by Tuân Nguyễn Minh on Unsplash
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