02.27.2022 | FORTUNE COOKIE WISDOM | Wk 8: “The Right Swipe”
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Breaking Ground
What was the most exciting technological innovation that you recall from your childhood?
The Dig
As we prepare to finish Fortune Cookie Wisdom, we’re taking the last few weeks to explore how wisdom speaks into several modern topics. This week, we explore the topic of wisdom & technology.
Read 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. Paul, as a wisdom teacher helping a Greek community, addresses participating in meals that acknowledge other gods through sacrificial foods (an incredibly common practice in their world). Interestingly, Paul treats the food as a morally neutral item/tool, placing the moral focus of participating entirely on how the person uses it. In other words, he urges them to approach each unique situation with wisdom by reflecting on their relationship with the tool & how it impacts others (instead of making a black-&-white rule on whether they must abstain from these meals or not).
Why do you think Paul embraces this grayer, more subjective view of wisdom in this common life situation rather than passing down a hardline rule on the matter? How might this approach create healthier, wiser, more mature Christians?
Using the questions Dan raised in his sermon, reflect on how Paul’s wisdom in this passage can help us reflect on our relationship with technology (internet, social media, smart phones, online games, streaming content, & anything else you can think of).
Identify one or two of the most prominently used or time consuming pieces of technology in your life right now.
Does your engagement with it impact your emotional, mental, & spiritual health in a positive, neutral, or negative way?
Do you find it easy to recognize in the moment when you’re engaging that technology in an unhealthy way? Are you able to prioritize & set healthy boundaries on it before your engagement with it starts to feel unhealthy?
Do your attitudes & behaviors when engaging with this technology positively influence your relationship with God & others? Does it make others feel loved? Consider your social media posts, treatment of others while playing a game, attentiveness to others vs. looking at your phone, etc.
Having reflected on this technological tool, do you believe that your current relationship with it is healthy & redemptive? If not, what changes can you make to begin establishing a healthier relationship with this technology in your life?
Getting Out of the Hole
This week, take time to reflect on your relationship with the most prevalent piece of technology in your life. Each day…
- Monitor the amount of time you spend on it. Track it if you can & compare it to other major activities in your life (time with friends, silent reflection, prayer, work, etc).
- Monitor the emotions you feel while engaging with it. Does it make you feel better? Worse? Neutral? Numb?
- Monitor how you treat others while you are engaging with it. Are you more or less attentive to those around you or important to you during this time? Do any behaviors change in meaningful ways/become more or less extreme?
- At the end of the week, pray over what you noticed & consider if it reflects a healthy relationship with this tool in your life.
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through this week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
The Wisdom Books by Robert Alter
The Wisdom of Proverbs, Job, & Ecclesiastes by Derek Kidner
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, March 6th: Join us next Sunday for week 8 of our new series Fortune Cookie Wisdom, where we will be considering what it means to use technology wisely!* Please see mye3.org for details.