Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The wasted life

"Who can measure the irrevocable guilt of a wasted life?" - J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism

"Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can." - Jonathan Edwards, Resolutions

"The pious man cannot live in idleness and indulgence, in sports and gaming, in pleasures and intemperance, in vain expenses and high living, because these things cannot be turned into means of piety and holiness, or made so many parts of a wise and religious life." - William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life


How often we waste time! With an age saturated by ways of distracting us, we often find ourselves obsessed with leisure. I think part of the fabric of our culture is to be distracted. We have entertainment at our finger tips at any time we want it. If we are not carefully on our guard, we will fall to this temptation. Part of our calling as Christians is to be using our time well, whether for ourselves, our family, or our employer. Obviously, with our employer, we have an ethical responsibility to give them the time we owe them, though we should do this "not as man-pleasers." With our families and ourselves, we owe it to our responsibility to fulfill our chief end. If we care about personal piety, we will do all we can "never to lose one moment of time."

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have just recently come to the decision not to waste my life being so busy. The fundamentalist person lives consumed in activities. It is not conducive to serenity or reflection.

11/17/2005 07:59:00 PM  
Blogger Ryan Martin said...

I think what is important is how you spend your time, even your "non-busy" time.

11/17/2005 08:18:00 PM  
Blogger lilrabbi said...

Try going deaf for a while. It takes away a lot of the distractions. I heartily recommend it.

11/17/2005 09:25:00 PM  
Blogger Ryan Martin said...

I can imagine.

11/17/2005 09:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It did things for Beethoven

11/18/2005 07:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And just when we had more distractions than we could handle, someone went and invented blogs....

11/19/2005 04:21:00 AM  
Blogger Ryan Martin said...

I often waste my time on blogs.

11/19/2005 10:13:00 AM  
Blogger Bob M said...

Someone said that life is a constant battle to determine what to ignore. If I could just ignore blogs, I would be great. But truly, they are not all distractions. Some of my blogging is a way to put into writing what swirls around in my head and needs expression. Writing makes me slow down and think a little more clearly.

11/23/2005 12:38:00 PM  

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Immoderate: The wasted life

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

The wasted life

"Who can measure the irrevocable guilt of a wasted life?" - J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism

"Resolved, never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can." - Jonathan Edwards, Resolutions

"The pious man cannot live in idleness and indulgence, in sports and gaming, in pleasures and intemperance, in vain expenses and high living, because these things cannot be turned into means of piety and holiness, or made so many parts of a wise and religious life." - William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life


How often we waste time! With an age saturated by ways of distracting us, we often find ourselves obsessed with leisure. I think part of the fabric of our culture is to be distracted. We have entertainment at our finger tips at any time we want it. If we are not carefully on our guard, we will fall to this temptation. Part of our calling as Christians is to be using our time well, whether for ourselves, our family, or our employer. Obviously, with our employer, we have an ethical responsibility to give them the time we owe them, though we should do this "not as man-pleasers." With our families and ourselves, we owe it to our responsibility to fulfill our chief end. If we care about personal piety, we will do all we can "never to lose one moment of time."

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have just recently come to the decision not to waste my life being so busy. The fundamentalist person lives consumed in activities. It is not conducive to serenity or reflection.

11/17/2005 07:59:00 PM  
Blogger Ryan Martin said...

I think what is important is how you spend your time, even your "non-busy" time.

11/17/2005 08:18:00 PM  
Blogger lilrabbi said...

Try going deaf for a while. It takes away a lot of the distractions. I heartily recommend it.

11/17/2005 09:25:00 PM  
Blogger Ryan Martin said...

I can imagine.

11/17/2005 09:39:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It did things for Beethoven

11/18/2005 07:02:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And just when we had more distractions than we could handle, someone went and invented blogs....

11/19/2005 04:21:00 AM  
Blogger Ryan Martin said...

I often waste my time on blogs.

11/19/2005 10:13:00 AM  
Blogger Bob M said...

Someone said that life is a constant battle to determine what to ignore. If I could just ignore blogs, I would be great. But truly, they are not all distractions. Some of my blogging is a way to put into writing what swirls around in my head and needs expression. Writing makes me slow down and think a little more clearly.

11/23/2005 12:38:00 PM  

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