Is Technology Bad for Us?
OPENING THOUGHT
In his book, 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, Tony Reinke writes,
“Our lives are consolidated on our phones: our calendars, our cameras, our pictures, our work, our workouts, our reading, our writing, our credit cards, our maps, our news, our weather, our email, our shopping—all of it can be managed with state-of-the-art apps in powerful little devices we carry everywhere. Even the GPS app on my phone, which guided me to a new coffee shop today, possesses thirty thousand times the processing speed of the seventy-pound onboard navigational computer that guided Apollo 11 to the surface of the moon.”
It's no wonder our phones are such a distraction. These little devices are powerful. But they are also addictive! We must learn to control our technology before it controls us!
EXPLORING GOD’S WORD
Psalm 119:33-37
What does the psalmist ask God to turn his attention toward?
What does he ask the Lord to turn his eyes away from?
What are some of the “worthless things” we give our attention to through our technology?
Are there worthwhile things we can access on our smartphones?
Ephesians 5:15-16
Can technology help us make the best use of our time?
How can technology hurt our time management?
What are some practical things we can do to manage our screen time so that we are making the best use of the time God has given us?
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
What lengths did Paul go to in order to gain self-control?
Can technology be addictive?
What kind of temptations might technology introduce into our lives?
Give some examples of boundaries Christians should set on their technology to help them practice self-control.
2 Corinthians 10:7-12
What does Paul say about comparing yourself with others?
What effect has our technology had on our temptation to compare ourselves with others?
Why do people struggle with FOMO (fear of missing out)?
Read the following proverbs about envy: Proverbs 14:30; 23:17; 27:4.
