To begin, we want to give everyone a little advance notice that for the next couple of weeks our posts may be a bit different. As some of you know, we have a gracious, loving Father who paved the way for Diane and me to head off for two glorious weeks in the Holy Land soon, and we’re still working on plans for getting our posts out. We may invite a guest writer or two, or we might try something altogether different. In any case, Lord willing, we’ll be boarding a plane next Friday, and we couldn’t be more excited. We’re very familiar with the teaching team leading us, and we’re looking forward to the continual “more-than-you-can-eat” feast on the Living Word of God that they always provide. When we return, we’re looking forward to sharing as much as we can in as many ways as God allows. So, any prayers you might offer for our safety and for God’s guidance throughout our journey will mean more to us than we could ever adequately express. But … for the moment, we’ll move on with today’s topic.

No Advanced Degree Needed ~
Professional theologians love to engage in lengthy discussions about God’s divine attributes. They love to delve into speculations about what the Living God is like, why He’s like that and what the implications are for us mortals. Those academic discussions can be quite fascinating, but God has revealed some traits about Himself that don’t require an advanced degree in theology to figure out. One of them is that He loves counting things and measuring stuff. 

Before God ever got around to breathing life into that handful of Garden soil He had molded into something that looked a little like Him, our Creator had already displayed a tendency for organization and measurement. He not only arranged His work in reference to days and nights, but He immediately started assigning numbers to them. And that divine trait for measuring and organizing things continued as the incredible saga of our redemption unfolded over the years. It became clear if something could be counted, God counted it. If it could be weighed, He weighed it. If it could be measured, He measured it. God seems compelled to address the answers and implications associated with questions like, “How much…? How often…? How many…? How big…?  How long…” and “To what extent?” And in case you might want to ask why we should be concerned about that, I have a suggestion or two. 

Shocking Realizations ~
My attention was drawn to this area as a result of an admonition that grew out of our church’s concern about the potential for harmful impact that smartphones are capable of having on our lives and the lives of our children. The social media programs and endless array of apps available were purposely designed to make them as addictive as possible to virtually any age group – and that design has been more than successful. The average American spends about over five hours a day on their smartphone and most young people are in the 7-9 hours a day category. Obviously, there are some potentially positive benefits that these little “glowing screens” in our pockets and purses provide, but their potential to influence us in the opposite direction is nothing short of frightening. 

Being able to hold the “world” in our hands both visibly and audibly is challenging enough for adults who are aware of the temptations it can represent, but for unsuspecting children, the implications are horrendous. Studies abound that indicate how powerfully our minds can be affected by exposure to an endless stream of messages presented in ways that range from active, colorful, appealing, inspiring, and funny, to those that are disturbing, alarming, emotionally gripping, sexually arousing, morally degrading, and spiritually toxic material. The stream flows out 24/7, and it is available to virtually anyone and everyone who has access to a smartphone. Much of that material is blatantly dark and evil, and in some cases, it has proven, ultimately,  to be lethal. 

Another Kind of Fast ~
So, in response to the ceaseless source of potential temptation in our pockets, our church has encouraged us to engage in a “digital fast” during the month of March specifically directed toward our smartphones. We’ve been encouraged, over the month of March, to at least temporarily remove social media and other apps that are not required by our work or other family responsibilities. We’re admonished to refrain from wasting our lives in emotionally charged, pointless exchanges with people we don’t really know and to stop feeling left out because of missing something going on in that artificial, dangerously unreliable, and mostly phony digital world, and to get freshly reconnected with the real one instead. That’s where that divine attribute about “measuring” things comes in. 

As it turns out, the God who created us in His image seems to have passed a major dose of that compulsion to measure things along as well. Just think for a minute about how many things there are in our day-to-day lives that we count, calculate, evaluate, or measure. We have instruments to measure everything from the ingredients in the food we cook, to the temperature in the room. We have gadgets to measure an extensive list of things going on inside and outside of our bodies. We calculate, scrutinize, and evaluate our heartbeats, blood pressure, oxygen absorption, the number of hours we sleep, and the steps we take. 

Facilitating Better Decisions ~
Perhaps God infused that drive to measure things into us because measuring things is actually a way of searching for relatable, dependable truth. For instance, saying that ‘an item you’re asked to pick up is a little heavy’ . . . Well, that’s quite different from saying it weighs 312.2 lbs. We want to avoid guesswork whenever possible, especially in important matters, and even more so if they affect us personally. We want a standard that promotes understanding and enables us to make better decisions – and the more significant the issue, the more vital and accurate that answer becomes. 

Few things are more important to us, or more personal, than our lives in this world. No wonder we obsess about measuring our time here. We calculate our lives in terms of days, weeks, months, and years, and in some situations, minutes and seconds. Life is pretty important both to us and to the God who granted it, and what we do with it matters. He suggested this foundational exercise:

So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12 NKJV)

To number our days in this admonition means more than just counting them. It means to assign them, to allocate them, and to give them purpose. That’s a primary objective being sought in the digital fast we mentioned (and recommend). Followers of Jesus are continually overwhelmed in this culture with demands for attention, choices to be made, and options to be considered. Adding another challenge may seem like just too much. But an exercise in restraint like that can offer an unexpected sense of freedom and control. It can provide a fresh realization that we’re here on purpose and that we’ve been dispatched as ambassadors of Jesus’ Kingdom. Taking an honest look at how we’re investing the time we’ve been given can result in adjustments that lead to new directions and greater fulfillment.

A Tip for Getting Started ~
And in case you’re interested in checking on your smartphone activity, here’s a tip that might help you get started. Both iPhones and Android versions have a built-in feature that can measure how much time we spend looking at them. To access it, just open “settings” on your phone and search for “screen time.” Then just turn it on and you’ll be off and running. But whether you decide to join us in this endeavor, please consider this … The One who died to redeem us considers our lives, our time, and our abilities as potential assets to His Kingdom that are of much more value than most of us think we are. Jesus made it clear that things about us are scrutinized and counted in ways our digital gadgets can never be able to do. He said: 

Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6–7 NKJV)

So, if you’re one of those folks who gives up things they normally like for Lent, or if you just want to remind yourself that some of life’s most incredible blessings can slip away unnoticed, you might want to use this as a time to consider opting out of watching another parade of cat videos or listening to some “influencer” telling everybody else how to live. You might even find that your FOMO (‘Fear of Missing Out’) may just surprise you by turning into JOMO (‘Joy of Missing Out’) when you least expect it!

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • God not only arranged His work in ref to days and nights, He immediately started assigning numbers to them. That divine trait for measuring and organizing things continued as the incredible saga of our redemption unfolded over the years. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

• • The God who created us in His image seems to have passed along a major dose of His compulsion to measure things. Just think for a minute about how many things there are in our day-to-day lives that we count, calculate, evaluate, or measure. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

• • To number our days in Psalm 90:12 means to assign them, allocate them, give them purpose – a primary objective being sought in the ‘digital fast’. Followers of Jesus are continually overwhelmed in our culture with demands for attention, choices to make, options to consider. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

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