Devotional – Time For Fun

Devotional

Big picture Hobbies can develop into addictions and begin to consume one’s life. We must prioritize our time and resources.

• Q: How many hours a day do you play video games or are on a computer? Q: What is your favorite video game? (Share yours, too)
• We’ve discussed God wants us to have fun. He’s set aside some time in everyone’s life for fun things.
• The Teaching verse tells us God has carved-out time for other activities, too, like work or rest or worship. For serious things. We must be aware there is an appropriate time for all activities.
• The point of today’s talk builds on the teaching verse by warning: Hobbies can develop into addictions and begin to consume your life. So, we must prioritize our time and resources. Repeat
• You shouldn’t feel guilty about playing and having fun. God thinks fun can be as holy as worshipping Him or He would not have set aside time for it, like the Teaching verse says.
• But we should ALWAYS be listening to God and His timing for when God says we should be working or playing or resting or worshipping Him. Too much of any of these activities is not good for us. God created us for all these activities, but each one should be done in God’s good timing.
• Addiction to our hobbies (like video games) happens. No joke. People become addicted to all kinds of hobbies, not just videos, like golf, working out, watching tv, working on cars. Any hobby can addict us.
  • Q: You may even know someone who is addicted to a hobby? (the easy example is video games).
  • Addiction means you cannot stop when you should stop. You lose control of your life. Then, addiction leads to being consumed which means all you can think about and all your time is consumed by your hobby addiction. To the point you become completely irresponsible and sick.
  • To prevent becoming addicted and consumed by a hobby, we must prioritize our time and resources.
• Here again, God gives us free will to choose how and where to prioritize our time and resources. God does not want puppets. He wants you to freely choose to love Him enough to prioritize Him first.
• Prioritizing our time and resources means being intentional, deciding now what is important and not important to you and to God. Your parents are here to help you prioritize. They have learned how.
• So, yes love your hobbies, but remember they can be harmful if you don’t prioritize your time.