SERVING GOD BY KEEPING UP WITH TECH

It might seem strange to see serving God and technological advances as compatible, but God is into being wise about using tools. 

Have you ever tried cutting down a tree or even cutting a limb?  Then you know it requires a decent tool.  A dull tool takes a lot more strength to cut with, and it may even leave you with a tree standing or a limb hanging.  Solomon addressed this issue here in the book of Ecclesiastes: 

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.  Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NLT)

Sharpen the ax!  Wisdom!  Success!  It is brilliant.  This verse isn’t just about sharpening an ax, but the application of wisdom to sharpen up and get things done.  

There once was a problem of technology in Israel.  Way back.  The technology of iron was a big thing.  Bronze was more available and familiar.  It was rather old school at this point, and had some limitations.  Bronze didn’t have the endurance and strength of iron.  Bronze was a step up from sharpened poles and rocks for tools and weapons, but not on the level of iron.  Israel had some tools of iron, but no blacksmiths.  They were using old tech in the then modern world of iron.  That was a problem.  How were they to accomplish God’s plan for them without keeping up with the tech of the day?  They struggled.  They even had to make compromises to have the Philistines who had the tech and the trained technicians take care of sharpening their iron tools.  

Look at this in 1 Samuel: 

So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith.   1 Samuel 13:20 (NLT)

God didn’t want the Israelites compromising and being subjected to the Philistines, but technology played a part in keeping them in this situation.  

An amazing bit of technology that is a testimony to God’s wisdom and plan is writing.  Yep, writing.  Not such a big deal because we are used to it.  But to be able to read and write was a huge thing through the centuries.  The people of God wrote.  We have the Bible written over 1,500 years by various authors.  Sixty-six books joined together.  Earlier the books were written on papyrus or sheep skin and rolled into scrolls and then some techie thought…hey, why don’t we cut these 20 cubits long scrolls into 8 ½ by 11 sheets and bind them together and call it…umm…a book.  Easier to handle and carry around and to locate verses so God can guide us better through the Scripture.  And it was good.  Then another dude, a German, got tired of hand writing the same thing over and over and over again for flyers telling the village people there was a sale on pigs.  He was kind of a tech kind of guy and carved out movable type that could be set and pressed on paper.  Set the words with the type one time and make thousands of pig sale flyers.  Great idea.  But they really thought getting the Bible published this way would get more of God’s Word to more people.  Serving God by keeping up with tech.  So they did print the Bible.  The Gutenberg Bible was printed in 1455.  Lots of printing has happened since.  

In 2008 those techies were at it again.  The YouVersion Bible app shows up.  These crazy unleashed phones people carry around with them now have a Bible that is really handy to use. 

YouVersion's Bible App features 1254 Bible versions, in 909 languages, audio Bibles for popular versions, offline capabilities, as well as over 800 Bible Plans on specific topics, portions of the Bible, the entire Bible, and devotionals. -From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That is fantastic!  Technology rightly used is doing great things for the Kingdom of God.  Have you thought about it?  Technology.  Have you rejected changes?  Have you embraced it and found ways to honor God with it?  

Have you considered how we get to the next level?  How about this?  We need people who are walking with God to be creative and knowledgeable in tech so that we can use whatever is out there to promote the Lord and His ways.  

I have these grandkids who are into Minecraft.  It’s a computer game that has taken hold of the younger crowd.  It is easy to judge the whole thing and consider it mindless amusement, but wait. 

In the article The Benefits of Learning with Minecraft there is a fascinating bit of info: 

Where these courses really make the difference, is in expanding the practical knowledge a player can bring to their own Minecraft universe, while putting that process of creative thinking, experimentation and adaptation front and centre.

Each student will come away with their own unique projects because the workshops and camp foster independent thinking and customisation. But participants will have got to those very different points using advanced computing skills that they wouldn't have otherwise been able to bring into play. These skills include navigating a 3D design space with MCEdit, topographical 2D mapping or the application of Minecraft's 'electronic' components (traps, machines). It doesn't matter that some of the terms seem like gobbledygook to non-players. Ask your child about what they have created and they will take you into an expansive world all of their own making.

Did you get all that?  If not, be glad there are some kids who do.  Why?  Jobs for them and the future for us.  The Navy wants to recruit mid-career specialists to fill technical jobs. They will become chiefs and captains after only completing boot camp.  These are people who can do the tech jobs and understand computers and have the skills to handle the work.  Who will they be in the future?  Kids who are stuck on Minecraft now.  They will be learning robotics which is one of the fastest growing fields and projected to be huge in the years ahead.  They will know coding which is necessary to adapting to whatever software is thrown at them.  

During a recent family gathering a retired engineer talked about the importance of learning the elements of technology, the computer coding, programming and the like so that no matter the advances people can still keep working and moving forward.  Fascinating to consider.  Whale oil and gas lamps faded out of popularity when electricity came along.  Buckets carried from the creek or the well fell out of favor with running water into the house.  We are indebted to a few creative and enterprising folks who thought there might be another way.  

Maybe we at whatever age and stage of life we are can help serve God by using tech, and if we aren’t the ones inventing maybe we can help those who have a knack for it.  Point them to God…that is the first and foremost thing.  Get them grounded in God’s truth.  Let the creative juices flow.  And maybe one of those folks can find a better way to sharpen the ax and accomplish God’s purposes in this world.