Information Overload?

You have probably heard the expression, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.” Well, I came across the following take off from this statement recently: “Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won’t bother you for weeks.” [source: bulletin clipping]

Can you relate? Have you gone online looking for some information, only to find yourself clicking link after link after link after link after link of associated material? I have found it does not take long to become far removed from the original information or having some other topic catch my attention and lead me there. That is the whole purpose of the sidebars on websites; to lead us to other links and keep us online.

Sadly that has become the picture of many in this life. They have become overloaded with so much information they have lost sight of the original foundational truths which must be retained and used in comparing all else. They are easily led from one thing to another, using up a lot of time, but perhaps accomplishing little in the end.

Paul referred to some who were…
“always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” ( 2 Timothy 3:7 ESV)
These are those we might refer to as “educated fools”; people who keep learning lots of information, but who have not developed the WISDOM TO PROPERLY APPLY IT. There are many people who can even quote a lot of Scripture while there continues to be an obvious absence of the transformation in their life intended by God .

The internet has provided the means of finding information very quickly on almost any topic desired. However, not all that is posted on the “information superhighway” is reliable. Not all the advice offered is entirely beneficial.

Remember Paul’s admonition to the church at Rome.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND, that by testing you may DISCERN WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD, what is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE and PERFECT.” ( Romans 12:2 ESV)

I have always loved J.B. Phillips’ translation of this passage. “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity.” [“The New Testament in Modern English”, by J. B. Phillips, The MacMillan Co., © 1959]

We do need to be careful what we upload or download into our minds; guarding against overloading ourselves with too much of the world’s wisdom.
May we continue to load our minds with the truth of God, WISELY APPLYING IT in all areas of our life. Our time in God’s Word is always time well spent!

Have a great day BEING WELL FED FOR ETERNAL LIFE!
Carl

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