“In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”

Matthew 23:28 CSB

There was a video that went viral a little while back, where a youth group was interviewing their students, asking the student what the verse in their social media bio said…and not one student actually knew what the verse said. I saw a lot of responses and a whole lot of judgement, and at first I will admit I too had the thought of, “are they for real,” but I stopped myself because I too have been in that place. Where I looked good and like I had this deep relationship with God, but I really was just coasting in my faith or didn’t make it my own.

I mean, think back to high school, you’re really a product of your environment, and the church world is a very easy environment to look good without needing it to be real. Now, the majority of you reading this have been out of high school for many years, which would let us believe that we would never do something like what these students do, but we know that’s not really true.

I mean, who hasn’t shared a picture of their coffee and Bible…that might not have been opened at all, but the optics look great! The verse in the bio, the shot of your hands high in worship, your prayer before a meal in public, all of it looks great; but at the end of the day, the evidence matters more over the optics of your faith.

“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.”

Philippians 4:8 CSB

A few days ago, dear Danielle and I were having a nightly recap of watching the TikToks we sent each other because we’re cute like that. I had seen a wild video of a security video of a bear climbing onto a trampoline, but as we watched it, I realized that it was an AI video and not real…which was so frustrating.

Thinking I had quickly seen a funny video, only to realize it was fake, was such a bummer because rather than seeing something real, I had been fooled. Now, I am not a fan of AI at all, I think God has made us creative, and cutting out a creative person for a lesser quality product is just wrong (not only that but the negative environmental impact of God’s creation doesn’t sit right with me). It’s harder to differentiate what is real and fake on digital platforms, and it reminded me of this Scripture where Paul encourages the church to dwell on things that bring praise and are true.

We are called to dwell on what is true in a world where truth is relative.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 18:21

I recently watched a video come on my feed from the comedian Pete Holmes, and in this short clip, he spoke to the fact that words are spells that we cast on each other and ourselves. I love that imagery! Now, before anyone gets fundamental on me, it’s not evil, it’s a picture of the power our words hold. This comes straight from Scripture, and I believe it is a vital reminder to us every day.

The words we use are magic.

Life and death are in their power, and that should not be glossed over as we go about our lives.

There are memories I have of an encouraging word that have stuck with me through the years, and there are also memories of negative words spoken of me as well. The thing that we need to remember, is that our words have power, so we need to do the right thing and use it for good.

“Because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.”

Galatians 6:8-10 CSB

Dear Danielle and I have been doing a ton of gardening. We’re both jumping into this thing full swing without a huge knowledge base of what we’re doing, all while learning a ton along the way. I’ve really enjoyed it, minus the humidity and billions of gnats that fly into my eyeballs, but it has been a blast because we get to prepare the soil, sow the seeds, and then harvest something beautiful.

I think that’s beautiful. Scripture continually uses imagery of agriculture, and I believe this is intentional as it continually reminds us that life is about cycles of sowing and reaping.