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The Gospel of Jesus Christ is described as the “perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25) which calls us “unto liberty” (2 Thessalonians 2:14; Galatians 5:13). When a sinner obeys the truth of the Gospel they are set free from the bondage of sin (John 8:32). While we can be set free by obeying the Gospel, we are not at liberty to do whatever we want (Galatians 5:17). In other words “liberty” is not without limits. In 1 Corinthians 6:12 Paul said, “all things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” As we consider this verse there are a few things we need to keep in mind. First, we need to notice the context. Paul is dealing with matters of expediency, in particular the eating of meats. Secondly, Paul is not saying that everything is lawful. In the same context Paul mentions several things that are “unlawful” and therefore could never be expedient (like fornication). Thirdly, in matters of expediency two principles need to be exercised. We must consider how our actions impact others, never doing anything that may cause another to stumble, (Romans 14:14). And, we must consider how our actions impact our own faithfulness. In the realm of lawful things control must be exercised. We must not to allow ourselves to fall victim, to be dominated or to become obsessed with anything even those things that are not inherently evil. There is nothing inherently wrong with sports, or with television, with entertainment or with various forms of technology. However, what often happens is we allow ourselves to be overly obsessed. We become so enslaved to a practice that we no longer allow Christ to rule over us. The abuse of technology has become a great danger to many in our community. While technology accomplishes many good things for which we can be thankful, too many become obsessed with various elements of technology. Some spend hours behind a computer screen surfing the internet, using social networking sites like My Space, Facebook, Twitter and so forth. Some, even many Christians, spend hours on such sites gossiping about everyone and everything. This is sin (Proverbs 6:19; 10:19; 16:28; 20:3; Leviticus 19:16 and Titus 3:2). Instead of spending time with our families or engaging in a study of God’s Word some Christians find themselves spending all of their free time in front of the computer. This is a very dangerous and unhealthy habit. With the click of the mouse we can fill our minds with whatever we crave. Yes, Satan loves to ensnare people with technology abuse (2 Timothy 2:26). Not only are many adults obsessed with technology but our children are following our example and giving the best of their time and attention to video games and cell phones. It is truly astonishing how much time young people spend playing mind numbing video games! And, all too often, parents set no limits. Young people get out of bed and play with their handheld game while they brush their teeth, they move to the breakfast table continuing to play while they eat, if time permits they will move to the big screen and play before its time to go to school. As soon as they get home they pick up the game again. That, my friends, is OBSESSION! That is technology abuse. Loving parents need to set limits and help their children overcome this obsessive behavior. As Christians we belong to Christ, we are His servants (1 Corinthians 7:22) and therefore, we must not allow ourselves to be enslaved to anything else. In the realm of lawful things such as hobbies and interests we need to be careful and exercise a great deal of self-control. Each of us must examine ourselves with the determination to draw closer to our Lord (2 Corinthians 13:5) and limit those things that distract us from our goal. If you have a Bible question please call (830) 868-9911, email ccbond@email.com or visit worship services. The church of Christ in Johnson City meets on Sunday at 10am for Bible Class, 11am for Worship, 6pm for Worship and on Wednesday at 7pm for Bible Class.