In today’s devotional, we will be looking at some more common things that sinfully waste our time. We already looked at seven. Today, we will look at the four remaining.
The time-thieves that we will be looking at today are hard-hitting. We all need to be aware of these and actively work against them. Thankfully, we have all that we need in Christ when we trust Him and pursue heart-obedience to His commands.
Thief IX. Another time-wasting thief, is excess of worldly cares and business. These do not only as some more disgraced sins, pollute the soul with deep stains in a little time and then recede; but they dwell upon the mind, and keep possession, and keep out good: they take up the greatest part of the lives of those that are guilty of them. The world is first in the morning in their thoughts, and last at night, and almost all the day: the world will not give them leave to entertain any sober, fixed thoughts of the world to come; nor to do the work which all works should give place to. The world devours all the time almost that God and their souls should have: it will not give them leave to pray, or read, or meditate, or discourse of holy things: even when they seem to be praying, or hearing the word of God, the world is in their thoughts; and as it is said, ‘They come unto thee as the people cometh; and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love; but their heart goes after their covetousness:’ In most families there is almost no talk nor doings but all for the world: these also will know, that they had greater works for their precious time, which should have always had the precedency of the world.
What about business in the affairs of the world? It is one thing to be busying ourselves with God at the fore of all that we do, and it is quite another thing to be consumed by business, so that God is left out. It can be merely things that we see as important to do that can come into our lives, which come to flood out what is truly important. These things can always be on our minds—dominating our thoughts—whether activities for our children, the state of our finances, health of ourselves or others, the state of the world or politics, the spiritual state of loved ones (which we cannot change), or just stuff that crowds out our effectiveness for Christ. There is no end of these things that can work to snuff out our love for God as our first love. Yet, these things, when properly ordered and filtered through our devotion to God, can become tools for righteousness. Every item has its proper place—under the Lordship and power of God. Likewise, those things that do not fit with our duty to the Lord, rather than replacing that duty, must be eliminated. How else will we be effective? Some of these sacrifices may feel like drawing blood, as if we are attacking our very life itself, but that is only a false notion of life. It is anti-life, which, for whatever reason, we have latched onto as something necessary for life. No, all those things that come to replace God as our first love and that make us ineffective in His work must die. If this does not happen, then our lives are orientated after some other thing—with our priorities reflecting the supremacy of that thing or things.
This is perhaps the worst or most notorious time thief. If you read what Baxter said above carefully, you will notice that worldly cares and business actually take the place of God: “world is first in the morning in their thoughts, and last at night, and almost all the day.” The very goal for redeeming the time is having God be what we think of when we get up and when we lie down, when we are out in the way, and when we sit (Deut. 6:7-9). There is good reason why the Bible has, in the parable of the soils, those who hear the Word, but who are then choked-out by the cares and worries of the world! This battle is as a battle against death. If it characterizes our lives, then we are likely ones being choked out by these weeds. For believers, we must fight against submitting to the cares of the world—as if we are to be ruled by the worries and anxieties and business of this age—and work in all that we can to trust in Christ and in God’s provision. Do we not believe that God supplies all we need when we pursue first His kingdom and righteousness? The worst part about this time-thief is that allowing this to continue entails serving another master. It holds another master as greater and more significant than God, as if that other thing were actually God, and thus in control and more deserving of our allegiance. God must be the occupation of our lives. He must be the conversation on our lips. And He must be what we are forever pre-occupied with, in everything we say, do, and think. He alone is to be our Lord and Master.
Thief X. Another time-waster is vain ungoverned and sinful thoughts. When men are wearied with vain works and sports, they continue unwearied in vain thoughts; when they want company for vain discourse and games, they can waste the time in idle, or lustful, or ambitious, or covetous thoughts alone without any company. In the vary night time while they wake and as they travel by the way, yea while they seem to be serving God, they will be wasting the time in useless thoughts: so that this devours a greater proportion of precious time, than any of the former: when time must be reckoned for, what abundance will be found upon men’s accounts, as spent in idle, sinful thoughts! O watch this thief; and remember, though you may think that a vain thought is but a little sin, yet time is not a little or contemptible commodity, nor to be cast away on so little a thing as idle thoughts: and to vilify thus so choice a treasure is not a little sin: and that it is not a little work that you have to do in the time which you thus waste. And a daily course of idle thoughts doth waste so great a measure of time, that this aggravation makes it more heinous, than many sins of greater infamy. But of this more in the next part.
This is a mind that is not disciplined in guarding their heart (the inner-man). It lets whatever thoughts it pleases to flow through it, without filtering or subjecting them to Christ. Such people do not make it a practice to renew their minds from wicked and evil thoughts to sanctified thoughts of Christ. We so often hear that what goes on in our minds is not important, as long as we do not act upon them. However, that is not true of God. He cares tremendously about what we entertain in our minds, and regards them as if we are already acting them out. If we do not guard our hearts at this point, then the overflow of our hearts will be evil continually, and this will contaminate all of our time; time which is owned by God alone, who is the One who bought us. This is the wicked poisoning of our time, and is the direct opposite of redeeming it for God.
Thief XI. Another dangerous time-wasting sin, is the reading of vain books, playbooks, romances, and feigned histories; and also unprofitable studies, undertaken but for vainglory, or the pleasing of a carnal and curious mind. Of this I have spoken in my book of Self-denial. I speak not here how pernicious this vice is by corrupting the fancy and affections, and breeding a diseased appetite, and putting you out of relish with necessary things: but bethink you before you spend another hour in any such books, whether you can comfortably give an account of it to God: and how precious the time is, which you are wasting on such childish toys.
While many have moved to electronic entertainment, it is still significant to talk about reading vain books. In Baxter’s book entitled, A Treatise of Self-Denial, he said,
Another point of sensuality to be denied, is, the reading or hearing of false and tempting books, and those that only tend to please an idle fancy, and not to edify. Such as are romances, and other feigned histories of that nature, with books of tales, and jests, and foolish compliments, with which the world so much abounds, that there are few but may have admittance to this library of the devil. Abundance of old feigned stories, and new romances are in the hands, especially of children, and idle gentlemen, and filthy, lustful gallants, or empty persons that savour not greater matters, but have spirits suitable to such gauds as these (p. 176).
(Note that this does not mean avoiding novels or stories altogether. That is not Baxter’s point. Rather, his point is that we avoid books and entertainments that draw us away from the things of God). For those who think that we should be happy that anybody (especially children) is reading novels, we must know the vanity that so much of these materials are pumping into their minds, much like having poor company, but worse: the very philosophy, goals, and mores are being pumped into their hearts, which are designed to be craved with a suspenseful lust. (The classics are not exempt from this either). Vain and unprofitable books or entertainments so often come to alter the appetites of our hearts, often producing a desire for carnal things more than a desire for God (God often takes a back-burner to these sorts of entertainments). So much of this is vanity, and leads the heart astray, even in many seemingly-innocent tales. Much of this applies to modern movies and videos as well. Our time is precious, and whatever is not bringing us closer to God is seeking to wrest us from Him. So, carefully moderate your time, and ensure that what you are consuming actually brings you closer to the holy thoughts and things of God, and not further. (If we do read novels, we need to be carefully assessing whether or not they honour God. We will be held accountable by God for what we read). You may very well be blind to the effect that it has on you, so be diligent and investigate, subjecting even all of your entertainments to Him.
Thief XII. But that master-thief that robs men of their time, is an unsanctified, ungodly heart; for this loses time whatever men are doing: because they never truly intend the glory of God: and having not a right principle or a right end, their whole course is hell-wards; and whatever they do, they are not working out their salvation: and therefore they are still losing their time, as to themselves, however God may use the time and gifts of some of them, as a mercy to others. Therefore, a new and holy heart, with a heavenly intention and design of life, is the great thing necessary to all that will savingly redeem their time.
The final time-thief is a wicked heart, which is an inner-man that only ever pursues evil, and therefore can only ever waste their time. The only solution to such a heart is to have a new one from God; that is, to be saved in Christ. Christ Himself enables us to pursue the proper and good use of the time we have in our lives for God. Those having new hearts are, again, owned by God, and thus all of its time is rightfully His. We now battle against the flesh that wants nothing more than to steal God’s time away from Him, and we do battle with the strength and grace that He provides for us as we trust in Him, and as we endeavour to pursue love for God and others. If we are saved, then we will pursue the redeeming of our time with fervour and longing, because we are the servants of God. May we be careful to walk in a way that is pleasing to God, seeking to Give Him His rightful due, so that He may one day say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant. . . . Come and share in your Master’s joy” (Matt. 25:21) We have all that we need for this in Christ. We are amply supplied. So, while our time is short, we all ought to endeavour to redeem the time.
In our next devotional, we will be looking at what it means to redeem our reputations.