For a guy who is really a geek, I kept getting bugged about joining Facebook. Some just couldn’t believe that a guy like me, who seems to know just about everyone, hadn’t joined sooner. I’m the type of person who can’t go grocery shopping without running into someone that I know within the first few feet of walking in the building. I guess from years of working retail and being around the public has its benefits. What’s funny is that I used to pick on my dad for know so many people.

So the whole Facebook thing has really intrigued me. I think it is a good way of connecting with people, but only on the surface. So far, I’m finding that it can be fun to hear about the lives of friends using this medium. With our busy lifestyles, most of us could never keep in contact with so many people. I have one friend there who has well over 300 friends. Now just how in the world could someone keep a close personal relationship with that many people? The answer is….You can’t! So resources like Facebook, MySpace, and blogs are all very good means of keeping the connection going with friends without requiring too much effort.

A question that I have asked myself is, “Would Jesus be on Facebook?” Honestly, I think the answer would be yes with reservation. Let me explain. When we think of disciples, many people think that Jesus only had 12. Actually, he had many more than that. There were many who followed him. Then there was the 12, then the 3, and then the one. Jesus knew the importance of maintaining a intimate personal relationship with those who were closest.

I believe Jesus would be on Facebook or something similar so he could keep friends informed about happenings and miracles. By the way, I’m waiting on that to happen on one of these social networking sites. Can you imagine how fast a miracle could get around the world just through one person? So yes, I think Jesus would use one of those sites.

I also believe that Jesus would have a closer relationship with others. In our ultra-tech world, it’s easy to hide behind social networking sites, IM’s, emails, texts, video messengers, and so on. The list just keeps growing. We use all of these modern forms of communication and forget about the real person on the other end. I heard of one company that wouldn’t allow employees to email each in the office. They wanted them to get up and actually have a real conversation with the person. What did we ever do before we had email and texts anyhow?

My point today is….don’t neglect your personal relationships. It is vital for your wholeness that you have physical interaction with others. I get busy sometimes and forget about my friends. I can tell when that happens too. It shouldn’t but it does.

I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heanen.
Luke 16:9