2Ti 3:1 ¶ But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
The iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes are appealing and innovative products, and they’ve been marketed brilliantly to promise a captivating, individual, “i” experience.
It shouldn’t surprise us that the “i” concept has caught on. Why wouldn’t it? It appeals and caters to our self-centered, human nature. Cool products, for sure; but a pretty ego-centric concept, to say the least!
In addition to the Apple products mentioned, following are some other “i”-centered experiences, gleaned from 2Ti 3:1-5 (above). These find an association to another “apple” (fruit) product, consumed some years ago in the Garden of Eden:
- iLove
- iGreed
- iBoast
- iProud
- iBlaspheme
- iDisobedient
- iUnthankful
- iUnholy
- iUnloving
- iUnforgiving
- iSlander
- iUncontrollable
- iBrutal
- iDespise
- iTraitor
- iHeadstrong
- iHaughty
- iNarcissistic
- iDenying
- iSolation
The lesson, of course, is that “iLove” (self-love) leads to “iSolation” (isolation). This makes sense: Who wants to be around a person who’s in love with himself and his “i”-centered experiences? People don’t, and neither does God (Lk 13:27)!
Instead, let’s adopt some Jesus-centered “i” experiences. Here’s a short list of 10:
- iCrucified
- iEncourage
- iFaithful
- iFollow
- iGive
- iHumble
- iOthers
- iServant
- iSubmit
- iTernalLife (ok, Eternal Life)
Joh 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.