When I was a kid, it seemed so easy to just pick between choosing the right and choosing the wrong.

Hitting someone = wrong

Saying something nice = right

It turns out, life isn’t always quite that easy.

As we read about the fall and the scattering of the northern kingdom of Israel this week, something stood out to me.

Of course, some of the Israelites were straight-up wicked and chose the wrong.

But in 2 Kings 17:15, we learn that for others?

“They followed vanity”.

Many scholars have clarified that the word “vanity” in the Old Testament is probably better translated as something that is “meaningless” or “worthless”.

We may not be choosing the wrong, but are we choosing things that are ultimately meaningless?

Sports teams, TV shows, social media, hobbies, apps…

Many of these things are not bad.

But in excess, or if used in a certain way…

Might they be a bit, well, meaningless?

(By the way, fun and relaxation are totally meaningful in my book!)

Take a moment today to think about what things might not be adding any meaning.

If so, let’s make sure they aren’t taking up any room that we need to add activities of great worth to our lives.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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2 Responses

  1. Okay, this is speaking to me. I’m working on de-junking, de-trashing the house to sell it and move to a better situation. I get sidetracked with the AZ HEAT and sit down and cool off. Out comes the social media. I am now going to do my Come Follow Me reading in it’s place. Nothing like “gett’ng cool”with the scriptures and keeping up to date. ????

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