“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (Proverbs 16:3, NIV)
There is a difference between using time for refreshment and renewal, which all of us need from time to time, and wasting time on pleasure. There are many ways to relax and enjoy life, however there needs to be balance in this area. We need refreshment; however, we need to carefully exercise discernment in order to make sure we are not just being a consumerlator instead of a Converterlator.
I say this because when I was younger, for me the epitome of “living” was to be on the golf course. I would grab every moment I could to be there. I loved everything about that lifestyle. However, my desire for that way of life from a time standpoint began to fade as I exposed myself more and more to the truth of God’s Word. As my desire to spend more time in the Word grew, I began to see my excessive time on the golf course as purely selfish. As I spent more time studying the Bible and learning how to soak, sow, and flow with the Spirit, I was impressed with the need to converterlate my time for the achievement of eternal purposes. This included preparation time for teaching Sunday school classes, which actually also benefitted me so much personally. I began to think about how I could use the secular talents that God has given to me for eternal purposes.
When we start thinking this way, our goals and motivations begin to change as God calls us to move in different directions in our new life with him. I began to aspire to be on the King’s team, and to really be an impact player for helping to fulfill the Great Commission. My time on the golf course began to have less allure. Our world has a lot of perishable distractions to offer us! Sometimes those perishable distractions are actually “good” things: sports, work, relationships, hobbies. We need these things, but we also need to be careful in how we use our time. The question always remains: Where is your focus?
The world says “indulge”; God says “do my will.” We must set our sights beyond the deceptions of our culture. We need to experience relaxation and pleasure in the way God intends. In the book of Ecclesiastes, we discover that King Solomon used his time to pursue many good things, but because his focus was outside of God’s purpose, all of those pursuits became meaningless to him. We must always keep in mind that we will only find joy and purpose in our relationships and accomplishments within the context of God’s purpose for our lives. And it is only within the context of a future eternity that all of these things make sense.
We find true fulfillment when we discover what we have been designed for and then use our time in conformance to that design. This does not mean that we need to be busier. It means that we need to carefully and intentionally use the specific time that God has given us. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s direction in this area of your life, and then act on what he shows you!
What opportunities has God recently given you to use your time for him?
Converterlators find joy and purpose in their relationships and accomplishments within the context of God’s purpose for their lives.