Every fortnight people from a farming background, or who have a heart for the countryside in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, offer a personal reflection on faith and rural life. They hope that you will be encouraged by it.

Technology plays a big part in every aspect of our lives nowadays, whether we are milking cows, driving the tractor, or just reading the news headlines. When I think back to my childhood, the television only had four channels and no remote control.

But in the space of 40 years, this once ground breaking technology is now almost obsolete, such has been the pace of change.

A couple of years ago, my eldest son asked for a games console for Christmas. As someone who grew up with an old Commodore 64 computer, I was excited to try out a game of football, or car racing, on this new technology - and I wasn’t disappointed. Compared with the games that I grew up with, the graphics and sound were extremely realistic.

Farming Simulator allows you to farm from the comfort of your living room

placeholder image — Farming Simulator allows you to farm from the comfort of your living room

In the past six months, a new game arrived for the console that I was especially excited to play – Farming Simulator. For those not familiar with the franchise, it lets you build your own farm from the comfort of your living room. Beginning with just a couple of fields, a few cows and some basic farm machinery, you get to cultivate the land, make hay to feed the cows, sow and harvest crops.

As you sell your produce for virtual money, you can purchase more land, better machinery, and grow your farm business accordingly. With amazing virtual landscapes, graphics and sound, plus a host of farming kit to play with, part of me wishes I was 40 years younger!

Yet for all the advances in modern technology, there is so much that can’t be replicated – the sweet smell of mown grass, the constant battle with the weather, untimely machinery breakdowns, and the relief when lambing is finally over, to name just a few. As good as the game is, you can’t beat the real thing.

Just as this virtual game is no substitute for reality, in our lives it can be very easy to substitute God for religion. It’s great to be part of your local church, to enjoy the praise and fellowship on a Sunday, and get involved with activities during the week. But even in our church life, God can take second place.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were guilty of this in their worship. With a message from God, the prophet Isaiah brought this rebuke to the Israelites, “‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’” (Isaiah 29:13).

Perhaps you have been a faithful church attender all your life, but you don’t yet know Jesus personally. He is inviting you today to trust Him as your friend and Saviour, with the firm assurance that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).

It may be that Jesus isn’t a part of your life and you give your time and ‘worship’ to something, or someone else – family, friends, money, hobbies. These are all good things that God has given for us to enjoy, but they are not as fulfilling as a personal relationship with Jesus. Without Him we miss out on the fullness of God’s blessing in our lives. Only Jesus promises that we “‘may have life, and have it to the full’” (John 10:10) – you don’t have to miss out.

Ronald Annett works for a local animal feed company and helps out on the family farm in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains. He is a member of Mourne Presbyterian Church in Kilkeel, County Down.

If you would like to talk to someone about any of the issues raised in this article, please email Rev Kenny Hanna, PCI’s Rural Chaplain at [email protected] or call him on 07938 488 372.