Bored?

A wrong question: As a Christian can I do X, Y, and Z? Or how worldly can I be and still be saved?

A right question: How close to Christ can I get while I'm here on the earth?

Many Christians, myself included, seem to often ask the former instead of the latter. How many times do we get sucked into frivolous things that have nothing to do with the kingdom of God? And, even worse, how many times do we get sucked into these things because we're bored? Shame on us if the latter is the case!

Isn't that why the entire entertainment industry exists here in America? Because people with money get bored and have nothing better to do? I think sometimes we get spoiled and are like little children complaining "Mommy, I'm bored, entertain me, entertain me!" When we do that often enough, we start to get addicted to whatever our pleasure is. In my B.C. days I was a prime example of the person who gets addicted to nothing. Praise God for lifting me out of that pit! I pray that he keeps me from crawling back into it.

Now, such addictions are understandable for unbelievers, especially those that don't even believe in God at all. For those that think this life is it, its easy to see how addiction to movies, television shows, sports, music, video games, books, work, or whatever other hobby is out there, happens. The Bible tells us that in the last days people will be "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Really, for those without God, pleasure becomes their god.

But those addictions do not satisfy. Never have. Never will. And for those in Christ, being driven by such worldly pleasures is not what we are to do. The Bible tells us that while "everything is permissible, not everything is beneficial" and that we should "live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God." Christ didn't die and rise again so we can spend the bulk of our time trying to enjoy life our way rather than God's way.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying never do anything that smells of the world. God gives us all that we have, including time to rest, and that time should bring us joy. The questions therefore become how we use that relaxation time and what it does for us. Do the things we do life us up and refresh us? Do the things we do glorify God? Do the things we do help build up our relationships with others? Or do the things we do just let us zone out, escape, and get another pleasure high? Sometimes the distinction is crystal clear, and sometimes not, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to it.

So, to reduce my point to a silly little one liner, if you're BORED, go do something for the LORD.

Grace and Peace