I didn’t think much of it. Does scripture have something to say about the amount of time I spend on my phone or watching that television series?
We live in a society that values leisure and pleasure as top marks for a healthy and successful life. Although we work far less than our Great Grandparents we’re still seeking out ways to spend less time working and more time playing. While leisure in itself isn’t sinful or wrong the cost of it or the motive behind it absolutely can be. Is our time of leisure costing us in such a way that we’re neglecting our God-given responsibilities? Are we partaking in leisure in a way that serves to glorify God, bring intentional rest or merely gratify our "flesh"? Before you point the finger and cry “ASCETICISM!” I want to assure you that’s not where I’m going with this.
I personally believe asceticism is rooted in pride and a façade of works based salvation. (And, it just ain’t biblical: Colossians 2:20-23 )
But if pursuing a life of godliness requires discipline and intention then we need to recognize that the small moments of our day matter just as much to God as our Sunday Mornings and mealtime prayers. If not more so, being that they make up a larger majority of our days and provide proof of the fruit we bear. There are no separate times for God; holy and leisure or spiritual and mundane, it all belongs to Him.( 1Corinthians 10:26 NASB "For the earth is the Lord's, and all it contains")
We’ve heard it said, “Idle hands are the devils playthings”, which speaks well to the human proclivity towards foolishness and sin. If we are not living with the intent to glorify God rather than gratify our flesh, or allowing our minds to be transformed daily by the reading of His word, investing in fellowship with other believers and other godly pursuits laid out in scripture, we are prone to wander. Jeremiah 17:9
We are living in a world that is drunk on the lies of the enemy to a point where even those who may not buy them outright are at risk of being lulled into complacency. Sure, I’m not going to use my time for murder or pornography, but God doesn’t mind if I binge on shows every weekend or spend an hour aimlessly scrolling social media, right?
Lets look to what scripture says of time:
• “The times are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-17
• “It’s limited.” John 9:4
• “It’s not guaranteed.” Proverbs 37:1 James 4:13-14
• "It belongs to the Lord." James 4:15 Ecclesiastes 3:11 Psalm 139:16
•"Don't waste it." Proverbs 6:6-8
"There is an occasion for everything and an appointed time for every activity.."(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
We could go on, but the point is: scripture has plenty to say about time and our use of it, therefore, it does matter to God.
"Procrastination is the arrogant assumption that God owes you another opportunity to do what you had time to do." -Unknown
I've often felt a sense of guilt over wasted time, although I couldn't have really articulated why. After all, I'm an adult, as long as I'm taking care of my responsibilities I shouldn't feel guilty about how I choose to spend my time. Or if I choose to waste it; spend it on nothing, bury it in the field. Or so I've heard in the oft-bought messages of "self-love" and "acceptance".
However, The above passages paint a different picture. Am I viewing time as my own to spend as I please? Or God's to steward with wisdom and gratitude?
Annie Dillard's famous quote which states, "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives
.." actually goes on to say, "What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing."
Are my hours mine or indeed a gift and life-breath from my God and creator?
It's one matter to enjoy times of leisure to the glory of God, times of fellowship or intentional rest for a limited and weary body, but it's quite another to carelessly squander it.
So, what then? We start first and foremost by going to God's word in prayer, asking for wisdom.
We pray for the Holy Spirit to test our hearts and convict us.
We become watchful of our time: where it is well spent according to His word and where it is squandered or simply slips away for lack of planning. We eliminate time wasters and we "put on" the things in God's word, we do the works he's lovingly laid before us.
Some time-wasters are obvious: mindless scrolling on social media, binging shows or movies, or spending inordinate amounts of time lost in video games or books. Others can be much more subtle and require honest reflection, wisdom and conviction because they aren't the same across the board. For example, two women spend a hours a day on the couch; but one has a chronic illness and requires rest for a weary body and the other simply wants to watch "one more" episode. I can't simply say that sitting on the couch for hours a day is lazy or wasteful. One woman is caring for the body given to her in order to steward it well and the other is clearly squandering time. Cleaning could even be considered a waste of time, if we are endlessly occupied with cleaning in order to maintain and organize an overabundance of belongings to the point that it stifles our willingness or ability to practice hospitality, or availability to serve others. Spending time on social media isn't necessarily always a waste of time if we are connecting with others intentionally or providing something of goodness, truth and value. But if we're scrolling without intention or to the point we find ourselves exacerbated by our children's interruptions (needs) and requests we ought to look at what we're giving our time to. Again, there are nuanced areas here that are worth prayerful consideration in our efforts to "put off".
"Putting on" is a rich and glorious matter in that God has given us so many ways of doing so in His word! How wonderful to search for answers and find them, not in sweeping metaphors, but in practical actions we can carry out. A few to get you started:
Devote yourself to good works. Titus 3:8
Seek to understand the Lord's will. Ephesians 5:15-17
Be prudent and diligent. Proverbs 6:6-8, Ephesians 3:1-8
Seek wisdom. Proverbs 2:4
Show Hospitality. 1 Peter 4:9
Give. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Pray and give thanks. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Be workers at home. Titus 2:4
Love our Husbands. Titus 2:4
Love and Teach our Children. Titus 2:4, Deuteronomy 11:19
Serve and bear with one another. Galatians 5:18
Share the gospel. Matthew 28:19
Be doers of the word. James 1:22
God's word is rich with instruction on how we should be seeking to conduct our day-to-day lives. We've been blessed with the tools and ability to redeem time, even as it fades and passes away so that we might image our Creator. But we cannot do this without wisdom, prayer and careful consideration. Romans 12:2 encourages us to renew our minds so that we may discern the will of God, that we wouldn't live our lives in a manner similar to those of this world.
(In fact, all of Romans 12 is rich with "Christian ethics" and ways we should be seeking to conduct our lives.)
Let us not grow weary in seeking wisdom and doing good, let us not be complacent or believe the subtle lies that we are lord of our time or god of our days. There is only one Lord of our time, and one God of our days.
"Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12
In Grace, Abbey
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