Keep Strict Watch on Your Use of Time
1. What challenge do people everywhere face today?
1 In this age of time- and labor-saving devices, many find themselves with seemingly more things to do and less time in which to do them. Do you find it challenging to maintain a good spiritual routine? Do you wish you had more time for the ministry? How can we make the best use of our time?—Ps. 90:12; Phil. 1:9-11.
2, 3. What challenge does information technology present, and how can each of us make a self-examination?
2 Identify Time Wasters: All of us should periodically examine how we use our time. The Bible urges: “Keep strict watch that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons, buying out the opportune time for yourselves, because the days are wicked.” (Eph. 5:15, 16) Consider the challenges presented by advances in information technology. While computers and other electronic devices have legitimate uses, they can become a snare if we fail to keep strict watch on our use of time.—1 Cor. 7:29, 31.
3 Each of us should ask himself: ‘Do I spend time each day reading or answering E-mail messages that are little more than an annoyance? Am I often engaged in making telephone calls or sending text messages about trivial matters? (1 Tim. 5:13) Do I find myself browsing the Internet without any purpose or aimlessly switching from channel to channel when watching television? Has a preoccupation with electronic games begun to infringe on my study of God’s Word?’ Such pursuits can subtly rob us of our spirituality.—Prov. 12:11.
4. What adjustment did one youth make, and why?
4 Using Time Wisely: Electronic devices tend to commandeer both our time and our attention. A youth who was heavily into computer games admitted: “Sometimes when I had played before going out in the ministry or to a Christian meeting, I found it very difficult to concentrate. I was almost always thinking about how I would solve a certain game problem after getting home. My personal study and regular Bible reading suffered. My joy in serving God began to decline.” Recognizing that he needed to make changes, he deleted all his computer games. “That was really tough,” he recalls. “I was more attached to games than I had thought. But I also experienced a great feeling of victory because I knew that I had done it for my own good.”—Matt. 5:29, 30.
5. How can we buy out time for spiritual pursuits, and how do we benefit from doing so?
5 It may be necessary to take such measures if there are areas in which you need to make adjustments. Could you buy out a half hour each day from nonessential activities? That is about how much time it would take to read the entire Bible in one year. How spiritually rewarding that would be! (Ps. 19:7-11; 119:97-100) Set definite times for Bible reading, meeting preparation, and the field ministry. (1 Cor. 15:58) Doing this will help you to keep time wasters in check and will help you to “go on perceiving what the will of Jehovah is.”—Eph. 5:17.