Unbound: Freedom in a Digital Worldናሙና

Years after Paul's imprisonment that we read about yesterday, he writes his magnificent letter to the Philippians from a different prison. He opens this letter with two of the main themes found throughout the letter: gratitude and joy. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy "(v. 3–4).

It was standard Greco-Roman practice to begin a letter with a word of gratitude. For Paul, this gratitude towards God is at the heart of his love for the saints in Philippi. It has been noted that Paul rarely, if ever, thanks the Lord for things or possessions. Instead, nearly all of his prayers of gratitude are directed towards God or other Christians.

Paul is joyful and grateful for the people in his life. This joy sustains him in prison and compels him to continue sharing the good news despite his circumstances.

What fills your heart today with joy and gratitude?

Is the hope of God enough to sustain joy for you?

Are you eternally thankful for all the people God has placed in your life today?

On one hand, our cell phones can help us cultivate a life of joy and gratitude by reading from the word of God, seeing the laughter on faces far from us, or connecting us with family through text, calling, or video. Yet, on the other hand, they can create anger, discontentment, and entitlement by provoking loneliness through fake relationships, ever-scrolling apps, and relentlessly selling us products. Just as we're getting into a verse on our Bible app, a notification from our shopping app teases us with a BOGO sale on fall fashion or fishing lures. During a rich conversation with a friend, the buzz on our wrist or in our pocket distracts us and pulls us away.

Do you think Paul would have had a cell phone?

It's a fun question to ponder. I think Paul would have for a variety of reasons. Missionally, Paul tried to become all things to all people to save as many as possible (1 Cor 9:22), so carrying a cell phone would have related him to the culture he lived in. Also, Paul felt a constant burden to check in on the churches he had planted. This jumps off the page in the reading for today. Paul is so far away from all his spiritual family in Philippi, yet, he still cares so deeply for them.

He writes, "I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus" (v. 7-8).

I think Paul would have used his cell phone to strengthen and encourage those he loved around the Roman world. He would have routinely used his phone to check in with the churches he planted. At the same time, I think he would have used his phone for what it was, a tool for communication.

You might feel a bit convicted right now. I know it often becomes quite convicting as I reflect on how I use my phone. I want to live a joyful, grateful life, but I often find that my phone makes me angry, distracted, or apathetic. Instead of using my phone as a tool for communicating with people I love, I use it to pacify my boredom.

Being convicted can be helpful sometimes in reminding us that we all still need to grow and change. Today, Paul encourages us from his chains that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." God's still working on us, and he won't be done till it's all accomplished!

So today, let's be intentional in how we use our phones to cultivate thriving relationships with God and others. Practice joy and gratitude through your phone today by reaching out to one person specifically who you love in the Lord and telling them how important they are to you. It might be a phone call, text message, or DM. In whatever form, share your joy and gratitude towards that person.

As you close today, hear Paul's prayer for his brothers and sisters in Philippi over yourself. Maybe Paul would have texted you this prayer,

"I pray that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." (v. 10-11)