August 22

Read: I Corinthians 6:12, 19-20

Everything [morally right] is permissible to me — allowable and lawful; but not all things are helpful — good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things (I Corinthians 6:12, A.N.T.).

Sanctified Leisure Time

Time is a sacred trust. The wise use of it is a sincere concern of those who seek to consecrate all of life to God. Especially is this true of leisure, for leisure is time peculiarly our own. Time spent in earning a living is determined largely by the demands of our occupation. Time given to eating and sleeping is controlled by the requirements of the body. But how we use our leisure is strictly our responsibility. In this sense it is the most ethically important kind of time that we have.

What kind of free time schedule is God’s kind of schedule for me? We are helped with our answer to this question when we recall that holiness means wholeness. God is concerned with every part of life and so He wants me to be concerned with all of it — physical, mental, social, and spiritual. The body needs rest and a change of activity; does my leisure provide it? The effective mind must be fed with a variety of interests; does my free time provide mental re-creation or wreck-creation? Wholesome human life requires enriching social contacts; do I schedule some hours of sharing myself with others? The human spirit needs ever-recurring periods spent in the presence of God; is there in my schedule some unhurried time for talking to Him? for listening to God? for seeking to know His will for me as revealed in the Bible?

When I consecrated my all to God I gave Him both vocation and vacation. My free time was set apart to be managed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Affirmation For Today

I will this day prayerfully examine my leisure time schedule to see how well it reflects my consecration to the whole will of God.