ImpostersSample

Deceptive Data

Data is information. It’s the facts we put together and use. In our faith, we need to use the data in the Bible to lead us in our actions. What if we had the right heart and the right motives, but the wrong data? I was leading our youth group in a lesson one time and asked the question, “how can we get more students to come to church?” As you can imagine, our students had a lot of great ideas: “Let’s get out and do a trash cleanup and hand out flyers to anyone that drops by.” “Let’s serve at the food pantry.” “Let’s have a worship night and invite the whole community.” But then there is always ‘that one’ idea, right? A hand went up…

“Let’s use chloroform on people, and while they’re knocked out, we’ll carry them in and they’ll wake up in church!” This student had the right heart and even the right motives (I think), but definitely had the wrong data; this may bring people to church, but not the way God intended! As silly as that is, I think it’s easy to have the right heart and motives, but the wrong data.

It is too easy to look at what our friends, our family, and our culture claims to be ‘correct data’. But unfortunately, there is a lot of incorrect data in what others say (whether they realize it or not). That is why we must constantly be looking into God’s Word, the Bible, to make sure that what we are doing is what God intended for us. So far, we have asked God for the right heart, and the right motives. Now we need to ask God for the right data, and live faithful to His Word! 

Father in Heaven, we are asking for wisdom in this, help us to walk daily with you and to be continually reading in the Bible so that we can know how you would want us to live. Thank you for giving us your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.