Articles
HOW WE USE OUR FREE TIME
“Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life … for this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:7–9).
Leisure activities are recognized by God as a necessary part of life. It is not wrong to enjoy the legitimate pleasures this world has to offer. Recreation is important for our physical as well as mental well-being. All work and no play didn’t do young Jack much good; nor will it you and me.
Still, even an inherently good thing such as leisure time can become a problem if we are not prudent about it. We must be careful not to misuse our free time.
Did I say free time? Perhaps we first need to remember that as a Christian we have no time where we are absolutely free to do whatever we wish. The apostle said, “Or do you not know … that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). We have been purchased “with precious blood, as of a lamb, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19). God’s servants never get time off. He demands active devotion every hour of every day. We must realize that our leisure time is not really ours—it is the Lord’s. The Lord doesn’t mind when you play golf; only don’t forget that you’re doing it on His time.
This being the case, we have no right to engage in any activity that would shame our Lord. We were redeemed by Christ for a special function, and we must never lose sight of what it is. “We are … created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). As God’s holy people we were “set apart” for righteousness (Ephesians 1:4). People called out of darkness for so noble a purpose scorn their vocation when they use leisure time for sinful activities.
Even when one selects a morally good pastime, he must remember that he is a Christian, and at all times act as a Christian. There is a potential problem inherent in sports activities, parties or any other kind of recreation—the tendency to get so caught up in the activity that we forget who we are, and act in a manner unbecoming of a servant of Christ. Leisure time should be a diversion from the pressures and problems of life, not a diversion from the Lord.
I wonder how pleased the Lord is when we allow leisure activities to take precedence over more important duties. How many husbands and fathers neglect their wives and children for the sake of their favorite hobby? For many, leisure time means working overtime at the office. Here again, if not careful, the family could be relegated to second place. (A nicer car or a bigger house is a poor substitute for a happy home.) Or what if our fun and games take precedence over church services and other spiritual pursuits? The lifestyle of some Christians gives the impression that worshiping God is their hobby.
A wise old king gave the simplest and best advice for making sure we use our leisure time properly: “Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things” (Ecclesiastes 11:8). Yes, let us enjoy our leisure time—only let us not enjoy it thoughtlessly. My relationship with Christ ought to affect the way I engage in any and every activity.
