I enjoy scrolling through my social media feeds and seeing encouraging notes and images:

In fact, I’ve recently shared all of these images on the Pure Purpose Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. I share an image every morning and often share others through the day as I scroll through my feeds and come upon what others have posted. I assume (hope) people will stumble upon the images and be encouraged or challenged.

But recently, as I scrolled through social media, I wondered if all these images and soundbites are as helpful as we want them to be. Certainly, God can use them in any way He desires. He can reach people who wouldn’t otherwise never be reached. He can deliver the perfect message in His perfect timing. He can nourish and challenge people as they open up their social media feeds.

But we can distort the intentions of His Word. We can come across the images we most want to hear and cling to, claim, and share them, while ignoring the ones that stretch and challenge our faith. We can easily lose the context of God’s promise or Jesus’ words or someone’s lamentation, praise, or teaching and make it fit what we want it to fit. We can claim something as true, plant it in our hearts, and pass it along to others without stopping to digest it.

Are we becoming content by our social media snacks instead of settling in to feast on God’s Word?

Pause before you share it. Pause before you claim it. Invite God into those pauses and let Him nourish you with His truth. He has prepared a feast.