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Have you ever heard the expressions, “Just because you call a thing a thing doesn’t make that thing a thing?”

The story is told of once when Abraham Lincoln asked an audience how many legs a dog has if you count the tail as a leg. When they answered “five,” Lincoln told them that the correct answer was four. The fact that you called the tail a leg did not make it a leg. “Just because you call a thing a thing doesn’t make that thing a thing.”

Have you noticed how people will share stuff without checking to see if they are true? We share on social media without researching. We agree with people who agree with us without having any desire to listen to other arguments or points. We believe gossip when it is spread without even contemplating how there is no way that person could have done something so harsh. We listen to the news and go along with everything they say.

What if we started studying, researching, and finding out items before posting?

Abraham Lincoln said, the problem with quotes found on the internet is that they are often not true. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet just because there’s a picture with a quote next to it. Social media should be used responsibly and accurately. (Ok, he didn’t really say this. I mean, come on…really?).

Folks, it is time we live as God desired. It’s past time we stop being lazy. It is past time we start trying to grow. It’s way past time we start living, talking, posting, acting, being as God desires. As the apostle Paul tells the Galatian church, “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary (6:9).”

James E. Faust said, “Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”

As Jesus tells us in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in truth; Your word is truth.”

Start telling only the truth. Start speaking only the truth. Start living only the truth. Start loving all out of the truth of God. You will be shocked at how our communities will grow and change as we set the example for all to see. Don’t worry about changing the world. Don’t even worry with changing our whole Commonwealth of Virginia. Just change our Southside area and the community you live in.

You will be shocked to see how just changing one little spot can slowly grow and spread.

Father, may we stop posting, sharing and believing lies. May we only live in You. Through Jesus we plead, amen.

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail.com.