Show Love on Social Media

How many friends do you have on your social media accounts?

I remember when I added up all of my friends, followers, and subscribers to find out how many lives I could affect with my social media posts. All my accounts were small, but they rounded up to a total of almost 2,000 people. Today, that number is much bigger.

When I think about which content to share on my Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook accounts, I try to find inspirational quotes that make us all smile or laugh. I try to find a helpful, but challenging article that pushes us to do better.

I have occasionally created a graphic that displays a Bible verse in a way that makes it memorable. Then when I’ve posted, I interact with those who comment about how much they appreciated my post.

Today’s goal is: Be an example of God’s love by sharing positive social media posts.

When the whole world seems to be groaning like it does these days, an inspirational Bible verse on your post shows God’s love and works like the medicine. It brings healing. It reminds the reader that God is love. He cares. He heals.

Be friendly. You can teach your friends and followers to show God’s love when you Share on Facebook or ReTweet on Twitter. When you find cheerful posts others have created, decide whether it is something that your friends and followers would appreciate. Give your social media network something that brightens their day and uplifts them as they browse through the posts. 

You’d be surprised at how many people you can affect. We can make a difference in this world.

Dare to be a Substitute Teacher

When it’s summer and time for families to go on a vacation, what do Sunday School teachers do? Who steps in when they need to get away?

They ask for volunteers.

I used to teach Sunday School classes. My husband and I didn’t have any children at the time I was asked to substitute in the high school classroom. I’d never done that before, but I accepted the challenge.

When I wasn’t teaching in the high school class, I taught an adult class. The ages were different, but the attitude was the same. They didn’t expect perfection from me, but they did expect me to speak from my heart about real issues that they had to deal with on a daily basis. No one wanted to waste time in a class that didn't meet their needs. I wanted my words to matter to them, so I studied.

I looked up Bible verses on topics they were interested in. I wrote an outline and presented it in class. I often had a good response from them at the end of our time together.

If your child’s Sunday school class teacher needs a break or is going on a vacation, you can ask to substitute during the teacher’s absence. It wouldn’t mess you up to prayerfully prepare a lesson from your own experience.

Today’s goal is: Ask a Sunday School teacher if you can bring a lesson to give them a break for a week.

You can study the Bible to create a brief lesson based on events in your past. Maybe these were mistakes you learned from or events you had success with. The youth of today will be making the same decisions that we faced. Ultimately, they will thank us for giving them a reason to make the right decision.

If you enjoy volunteering your time, you could find out if there is a list of substitute teachers and put your name on it. Or you could find a teacher who wants to do a monthly trade-off. You could teach one month, and they could teach the next.

You will never know if you’ll like it unless you give it a try.

Apply the Medicine

Many Americans have a Bible. Some actually read it. And then there are those who do what it says.

If you had a wound and asked a doctor to give you medicine for it, would you go home and read the label of the medicine bottle – and not take the medicine?

That’s what people are doing when they read what God wants us to do, and then not act on it. When we read the Bible and understand God’s instructions, it is to our benefit to act on it. We must be determined to apply the word.

Joshua 1:8 (NIV) Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Think on the word so that you can do it.

James 1:22 (NASB) But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

Today’s goal is: As you read slowly through the Bible with ears perked to hear the lesson God wants you to apply to your life, find the lesson that opens your understanding and act on it.

Joshua 1:8 says we should” be careful to do everything”. When doing everything written in the Bible seems too huge to even consider, take a small piece of scripture and meditate on the lesson in it. Apply it to your life. Act on it.

Some medicines need to be applied continually over many days. Don’t give up.

Daily Goals

I love daily goals. They help me keep my stress low. I know I can accomplish a huge challenge by taking it one small step at a time. If I’ll break off a piece of a large project, I can do a small thing rather than be overwhelmed by staring into the face of the impossible.

Joshua 1:8 states, “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Today’s goal is: Read eight pages in the Bible each day.

I can’t read the whole Bible in one month or even three because I like to think about what I’m reading. It takes time to meditate on the scriptures.

But I can read eight pages of the Bible in a day. That gives me enough pages to consider the context, but it isn’t too much. I have time to think and try to wrap my mind around the lessons I could learn from those pages. For me, a larger goal might pressure me to read too fast and miss some important truths.

If you want to read more than eight pages, please do. I set low goals for myself so I can accomplish them. I’m a mom whose schedule gets interrupted often, and then I get distracted . Set your page goal where you are challenged, yet able to accomplish it.