Using Time Wisely

Chocolate cake tastes great. There is just something about a moist piece of chocolate cake with creamy chocolate icing on top. Do you like chocolate cake? Do you like it better than broccoli, squash, or green beans? What if your parents let you choose anything you wanted to eat anytime you wanted? Would you eat cake or candy all the time?

What would happen if a person ate cake or candy all the time? That person would get sick. He would not get the vitamins and minerals needed for strong bones and healthy skin. He would get very weak and would not be able to run and play. A diet of chocolate cake all the time would do terrible harm to a person.

Now, let's think about how we spend our time. Is it fun to get on the computer, play video games, read fun books, play basketball outside, or watch movies and TV? Sure it is. All these things are fun, and they can all be very good. But what would happen if you did too much of any of them? What would happen if you watched TV all the time? You would most likely do badly in school because you would be watching TV instead of doing your homework. Your body would lose muscle because you were not exercising, and your mind would not be sharp and clear to think about good things. Watching TV is not wrong, but spending too much time watching TV, without doing other good things, is.

In Ephesians 5:16, Paul wrote: "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." To walk circumspectly means to be careful about how you spend your valuable time. This verse tells us that we should make sure to do important things like read the Bible, help other people, pray, and work hard for the Lord. Those who use all their time on other things are foolish, while the wise understand that time is short and there is much work to be done.

There are many good, fun things to do in this life. But we must remember that time is very valuable, and we need to make sure that we are "getting our work done" at home, at school, and for the Lord.

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