Do you ever waste time? The answer, of course, is yes. I know that because we all waste time occasionally. What we must avoid is making a habit of wasting time.
Suppose most of your time is spent productively and wisely. In that case, your “downtime,” when you are just relaxing in whatever way you like, is not wasted time but a period of rejuvenation, which is something we all need. On the other hand, if most of your time is spent relaxing, doing nothing important at all, that is a waste of time. Paul advises us against this.
Ephesians 5:15–16 (ESV)
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
How can we avoid wasting our time, making the best use of it instead? We must recognize how precious time is. Most of our time is spent working, going to school, or doing the other necessary things that life demands. That leaves us with very little time to do other things. We must discipline ourselves to do wise things with the time that we have left. A good example of this would be putting time aside to study the Bible.
Studying the Bible is never a waste of time. You accomplish at least two things when you study God’s Word consistently. First, you learn more about the Bible, which has many benefits. The more you know God’s Word, the more you understand His will, which Paul indicates is a part of walking wisely. It also helps you to better stand up for the gospel when it is attacked and refute false doctrines that put souls in jeopardy. As Christians, we are commanded to do these things.
Jude 3 (ESV)
3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.
Are you able to contend for the faith? If you do not have a basic knowledge of God’s Word, you are not. It is surprising how many of God’s children do not know fundamental facts about the gospel. This is nothing new. The Hebrews writer was forced to deal with brethren who did not know as much as they should have.
Hebrews 5:12 (ESV)
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
You can avoid this problem by consistently setting aside time to study the Bible.
Another benefit of studying the Bible consistently is that it will cause you to grow in faith (Romans 10:17) and help you to stand against the fiery darts of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-11). Both things are critically important. If we are not growing in faith, our faith is getting weaker. The weaker our faith is the more vulnerable we are to Satan and his attempts to destroy our souls. Never forget that the devil is always active. Peter reminds us of what he is doing.
1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Peter goes on to tell us to resist the devil. The best way to do that is to fill your mind with the Word of God. Listen to John on this.
1 John 3:9 (ESV)
9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
When does God’s seed abide in us? It is when we consistently study the Bible. That sounds to me like time well spent.
There are other ways to spend our time that are wise such as praying, attending worship services faithfully, and spending time with other faithful Christians. Let’s not waste the little time that we have in this life. Remember, life is like a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes (James 4:14).
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.