Are you Facebook Official?

I laugh when my kids or kids that I work with tell me about their teen drama. They start telling me about friends that have hooked up with various people but they aren't officially dating.  I laugh because they are clearly dating.  I will ask, "How can you say they aren't going out?"  They will tell me that it isn't posted on facebook.  So the joke is, "Are you facebook official  - or officially official"

I would love to say that all the content in what I am saying is all original but it isn't.  Much of it is my thought but my mom was sharing a sermon her pastor gave last week. 

Whenever I get a friend request on facebook, it always pops up with a question of whether you want to accept or decline the friend.  The first thought that runs through my head is, "Do I know this person?"  The second thought that goes through my head if I can even answer the first one is, "Do I really want to know this person again?"  Finally, you have the ultimate decision to accept or decline.  It isn't that we have intense conversations with everyone we know on facebook.  However, we are inviting them into our life if we accept that request.  That sometimes comes with good and bad.  When you accept their request, you are giving permission to add to your life and possibly change it.

Our relationship with Jesus is the same.  It is a request to come into your life.  You are faced with many questions but it always comes down to the final decision - do you accept or decline.  There isn't an in between.  We either accept him into our life or we put him on the shelf and decline.  I would also contend that we often ignore the request.  We might put off accepting or declining but ultimately, if we do not take the time to accept him into our lives, we are still declining even if we are ignoring his request. 

Our passage for today:

“Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.” James 1:22 MSG

Are you ignoring the request and declining or are you accepting?  Are you accepting and inviting Him into your life for a real relationship?