The Sword & Shield: A 5-Day DevotionalНамуна

In the past five years, would you say your human interaction has decreased, increased, or stayed the same? With the culture constantly gaining speed, encouraging isolation, and relying on social media, most people’s influence on their fellow humans is shrinking. Technology is replacing actual personal engagement.

The most interesting dynamic is that this social segregation is not by necessity, but rather by choice. We work to restrict the number of people we actually need to “do life.” While we may not ever admit it, we view many in our circles as expendable. 

Statistics tell us that the average global Facebook user has 338 “friends” with the median number being around 200. But that same typical user if faced with a personal crisis would actually trust only four of those people. So only about one to two percent of those who are online “friends” are actually authentic with the potential of regular face-to-face interaction and dependence. The gap between virtual friends and actual friends is widening by the year.

As Christ followers living in this culture, we all must ask ourselves: In any given week, how much eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart ministry is occurring in our lives? So how should we respond?

We can commit our intentional efforts to:

· Seek out face-to-face engagement with actual people

· Work to expand our circle of friends

· Pay attention to the people we meet and encounter in person

· Stop and proactively listen to those people

· Ask questions to understand and express concern

· Put away the phone or device in the presence of an actual person

If we are going to truly impact the world for the cause of Christ, this will occur through God’s original plan where we as His followers love our neighbors, meaning all those we meet. 

God gave humans free will upon creation. They then used that free will to disobey Him and side with His enemy. So to remedy the problem of sin, God sent His Son to die and pay the debt of sin. But then God chose to give the responsibility of sharing His answer back to the very people who created the problem to begin with! That makes no sense to us, but it is exactly what God has done. Entrusted you with His answer for mankind’s eternal problem. 

What is one situation where you know God wants you to intentionally interact with someone?