"Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land."
Proverbs 25:25
We live in an age of ever-increasing forms of communication. Years ago, couriers ran on foot or horseback to bring word verbally or in written form. Boats, trains, cars, trucks and airplanes made this form of communication easier and quicker. Postal carriers today deliver what's come to be called snail mail because its slower than the many forms of electronic communication. The telegraph, telephone, radio and television impacted our lives forever as it changed the way we communicate. Now we have the internet and email, facebook etc. Satellite communication brought us another avenue. These increased methods of communication are not a bad thing. They bring news from far away--loved ones who live in other countries, weather warnings and news alerts are all possible because of our ability to communicate rapidly and easily.
With each form of communication comes its own form of advertising. From word of mouth to electronic mass marketing, advertising is woven into all of a society's ways. Advertising is simply a method used to try and persuade people to buy their product, sway their thinking, promote their idea or get their vote. Yes, even the Gospel is spread through our testimony, our story. However as communication forms have increased, we've grown accustomed to being bombarded with all types of advertisements trying to get us to buy something or believe something. Television and radio commercials, pop-up ads on the internet, printed ads in newspapers and magazines, junk mail, billboards etc. Ads have taken many subtle forms, sometimes disguising themselves to look like news, or agendas hidden in television shows. Each advertiser learns to be bigger, louder, and wittier than the other in order to get our attention and win our approval. In fact, we even have "breaking news" bulletins in order for us to pay attention to "important" events. We learn to dismiss ads because we realize they all seem to want something from us and are not always truthful or honest. There is a whole psychology to advertising and to avoid being manipulated we learn to be skeptical and do a lot of tuning out and ignoring what's blasting us in the face.
What does all this mean? For one thing, it has given us less motivation to think for ourselves. We expect if something is important it will invade our lives. We will be bombarded with news flashes or phone calls from family and friends if we really need to know something. We've become reactive instead of proactive. If we're not paying attention, the ads and the agendas of others will tell us how to think, what to believe, what we will spend our money on etc. So much time is spent weeding through what is thrown at us that it never occurs to us to plant our own seed! We end up looking to choose from the best of what's offered, instead of seeking out what is life and truth.
Today, find that quiet place in time and space, where you can think your own thoughts. Listen to the Holy Spirit's communications and the Word of God as revealed to you. He is the one voice you do want to listen to. He is the voice of truth and life. He is the voice that set creation in motion and the One we need to follow and pattern our lives after. Go after Him. Seek out and cry after His wisdom and understanding. Do as Paul said and press on so that you may lay hold of that for which you were laid hold of by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12). He got a hold of you for a reason, so press in and get a hold of your purpose in Christ. To do that, tune out all the noise around you and follow His lead instead.
Proverbs 2, John 8:31-32
