God will share many things but His glory is not one of them. Before hitting that forward button we need to remember the words of the Apostle Paul:
So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to
stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the
Whatever we do it should all be for the glory of God. That means we need to be cautious of doing things that are not bringing glory to our Father. Paul is warning here about causing any to stumble and yes, even email can do that. This brings us to point number two.
2) Consider who is receiving the email and appreciate the fact that you cannot control who they will then forward it to. Nothing seems to spread faster than a bad email. Bill Gates giving his fortune away, the missing child story after the tsunami, fake amber alerts, or false political slander. It is all there. If only the Gospel would spread as quickly as chain email!
But consider for a moment to whom you are sending the emails to. Consider that they may not be as advanced in their walk as you. Their faith may not be as strong as yours. Their ability to discern may not be as developed as yours. Suddenly, what you thought was benign, is actually crippling to some. Consider again the example I gave above. In that email trail as I scrolled down I saw someone add this notation as they forwarded the picture of death:
"Hey...gotta send it. You can delete it if you want to. FYI....I know that God takes care of me and mine."
If you truly knew that God took care of you and yours, then you do not "gotta send it." Those statements are at complete odds with each other. What it reveals is what James warned us about:
