We know God opposes the proud. But some forms of social media seem to have redefined what pride is and what it’s not.
For example: Imagine if I stood before our church and repeated things I had heard others say: “Joe Smith said, ‘Pastor Craig, you are the best preacher ever! Your sermons changed my life.’ And Jill Denny said, ‘I loved your book. Everyone should read it. You are the best author I’ve ever read!’"
Chances are good most people would look at me funny and think I’m a little full of myself for repeating such things from the pulpit.
But if I simply retweeted those same statements, my retweets would seem totally acceptable to most. Honestly, I’m wondering if that is acceptable to God, or if it’s just pride in disguise.
I believe we need to walk a very careful line in ministry—I'm certain I have crossed this line before. Sure, we want to celebrate what God is doing in our churches. Of course, we want to get the word out about a new series or book we’ve written. Unquestionably, we want to share more reasons to give praise to our God.
But at the same time, we need to be careful that we’re not just drawing the attention to ourselves.
What we've learned:
Think twice before sharing or retweeting a social media post that makes you personally look good. If it's a post only about you, just send a 'thank you' reply—if it's a tweet that glorifies God, retweet away! Our goal should always be to lift up God, His work, and His name.
