It’s nice to have some idle time in your life to kick back and relax but be careful how you fill that time. It’s very easy to get into trouble misusing idle time. Let’s revisit the King David and Bathsheba incident again to prove the point.
In the spring when kings march out to war, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman. 3 So David sent someone to inquire about her, and he reported, “This is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 David sent messengers to get her, and when she came to him, he slept with her … (2 Sam 11:1-4)
Notice how David decided to stay in his palace instead of joining the troops for war. This would have given David a lot of free time on his hands. As you read closely, you can see that he didn’t know what to do with all the time on his hands. He lay in bed all day (v2a) and then he wandered the palace where he eventually wound up on the roof (v2b). It seems he was bored and looking for something to do. Then from the roof he saw his neighbor Bathsheba bathing. Suddenly he had something to do … fixate and lust for her.
David’s poor choice of filling his time started his chain of sin where he went from lusting with his eyes, to adultery, deception, and eventually murder. The result was God’s punishment and curse that changed his life forever. This tragic chain of events all started because David CHOSE to stop working and he did not fill his idle time correctly.
Fill You Time Wisely
Be careful with how you fill your idle time. Don’t spend it doing bad things like gossip, porn, bad habits, or just wasting it on nonsense. Try to use your free time wisely and productively:
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Eph 5:15-16 – ESV)
So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Ps 90:12 – ESV)
Don’t spend your free time allowing your thoughts to run wild. Many people don’t like being alone to their thoughts because they go to bad places like self-pity, anger, depression, envy of others, or bitterness. Instead, fill your thoughts with good thoughts like God (Isa 26:3) or Heaven (Col 3:1-2) or:
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Php 4:8 – ESV)
When you have free time, think spiritually and fill your time with something good so you are not drawn into sin or a mental pit.
Examine yourself
Do you have too much free time on your hands?
How do you fill your idle time? What do you do? What do you think about?
Are those things positive, neutral, or negative to your spiritual health?
Are you choosing to have too much free time instead of keeping busy? Why?
Do you see any changes needed?
BIBLE DEVOTIONS FOR LIVING 