Is Your Recreation Beneficial?

THEME SCRIPTURE

“Keep on making sure of what is acceptable to the Lord.”​—EPHESIANS 5:10.

1, 2. (a) How do we know that Jehovah wants us to enjoy life? (b) Since the time we use for recreation is a gift from God, what should this make us want to do?

THE Bible makes it clear that Jehovah wants us to enjoy our life. For example, Psalm 104:14, 15 says that Jehovah makes “food to go forth from the earth, and wine that makes the heart of mortal man rejoice, to make the face shine with oil, and bread that sustains the very heart of mortal man.” It is Jehovah who gives us the food we need to live. He makes the crops grow so that we can have grain, oil, and wine. Even though wine is not necessary to keep living, it can make “the heart of mortal man rejoice.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7; 10:19) Jehovah wants us to be joyful. He wants our hearts to be filled with “good cheer.”​—Acts 14:16, 17.

² So we should not think that it is wrong to use some of our time to “observe intently the birds of heaven” and “the lilies of the field.” Activities like these can give us energy and make our life more enjoyable. (Matthew 6:26, 28; Psalm 8:3, 4) A happy and healthy life is a “gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12, 13) The time we use for recreation is a part of the gift that God gave us. So we should use it in a way that pleases God. *

VARIETY AND LIMITS IN RECREATION

3. Why do people make different choices of recreation?

³ Those with the correct view of recreation know that they have the freedom to make choices. They also know that there are limits to what they can do for recreation. Why do people make different choices? To help us understand this, we can compare our choice of recreation to our choice of food. People in different parts of the world like eating different types of food. In the same way, Christians living in different parts of the world enjoy different types of recreation. Even those in the same area may choose to do different things. For example, one person may think that reading a good book is relaxing, but another may think that it is boring. Another may like doing physical things, like riding a bicycle, but others may not like this kind of activity. Just as people can choose what sort of food they like, they can also choose the type of recreation they like.​—Romans 14:2-4.

4. Why should we set limits on the type of recreation we choose? What example helps us to understand this?

⁴ Even though we have the freedom to make our own choices in recreation, we should not do everything we are tempted to do. Think again about the  example of food. We might like to eat different types of food. But we would not choose to eat food that is rotten. It could make us sick. In the same way, we might like to try different types of good recreation. But we would not do immoral or violent things or anything that would put our life in danger. Things like these go against Bible principles. They damage our friendship with Jehovah and could damage our health. So we must set limits on the recreation we choose. We need to think carefully about what we would like to do and then choose recreation that will benefit us and be pleasing to Jehovah. (Ephesians 5:10) How can we decide what type of recreation is good for us?

5. How do we know if our recreation pleases Jehovah?

⁵ For our recreation to benefit us and please Jehovah, it must agree with the standards in the Bible. (Psalm 86:11) To help you make decisions about recreation, you may use a simple checklist. The list has three questions that we can ask ourselves. The questions are: what? when? and who? We will talk about them now.

WHAT DOES IT INCLUDE?

6. What entertainment should we never choose? Why do we not choose it?

⁶ Before choosing any entertainment, we need to ask: What does the activity include? It is good to remember that there are two sorts of entertainment. The first sort involves things that we would never do. The second involves things that we might decide to do. What is the first sort of entertainment? A lot of the entertainment in this wicked world includes activities that are completely against Bible principles or that break God’s laws. (1 John 5:19) True Christians should never choose this sort of entertainment. This means anything that includes demonism, homosexuality, pornography, or violence. It also includes entertainment that shows people causing physical pain to others for pleasure, or any other entertainment that makes immoral acts seem good. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; read Revelation 21:8.) No matter where we are, we would never want to choose this sort of entertainment. We want to show Jehovah that we hate “what is wicked.”​—Romans 12:9; 1 John 1:5, 6.

7, 8. What can help us make good decisions in entertainment? What example can we think about when we make choices about recreation?

⁷ The second sort of entertainment involves activities that we need to think carefully about before we decide. The Bible may not talk about these exact types of entertainment. But Bible principles  will help us understand what Jehovah thinks is good and right. So before we make decisions about these types of entertainment, we should be sure that they are not against Bible principles. (Proverbs 4:10, 11) Then we need to make a decision that will help us to keep a good conscience. (Galatians 6:5; 1 Timothy 1:19) How can we make good choices? Think again about food. Before we try a new kind of food, we want to know what is in it. In a similar way, before we choose our recreation, we want to know about it so that we can decide if it is good for a Christian.​—Ephesians 5:17.

⁸ For example, you may like sports. Many people do. Sports can be fun and exciting. But in some sports the competition can become violent or can put a person’s life in danger. Some sports are dangerous and cause physical injuries. In other sports, people celebrate in a wild and violent way and can think that their nation is better than others. What should you do if you like sports in which these things happen? As you think about what is involved in these  sports, you would likely decide that your way of thinking does not agree with Jehovah’s way of thinking or agree with the message of peace and love that we preach to others. (Isaiah 61:1; Galatians 5:19-21) But if you are sure that the recreation agrees with Jehovah’s principles, then it may benefit you and give you energy.​—Galatians 5:22, 23; read Philippians 4:8.

WHEN DO I PARTICIPATE IN RECREATION?

9. What can you learn from your answer to the question: When will I participate in recreation?

⁹ The first question we discussed was: What? Our answer to that question shows what we like and what we approve of. Now the second question is: When? So we need to ask: When will I participate in recreation, and how much time will I use for it? The answer to this second question shows what our priorities are, that is, what we think is more important. So, what can help us to decide how important recreation is in our life?

10, 11. How do Jesus’ words found at Matthew 6:33 help us to decide how much time to use for recreation?

¹⁰ Jesus Christ told his followers: “You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.” (Mark 12:30) We show that our love for Jehovah comes first in our life by obeying what Jesus said: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) Jesus’ words can help us to decide how important recreation is in our life and how much time we should use for it.

¹¹ Notice that Jesus told us to keep on “seeking first the kingdom.” He did not tell us to keep on seeking only the Kingdom. Jesus knew that we would need to care for many things in life in addition to seeking the Kingdom. We need to use enough time for seeking work, food, housing, clothing, a basic education, recreation, and other things. But these do not come first in our life. The Kingdom comes first. (1 Corinthians 7:29-31) When we come to understand what should come first, we will put recreation and all other activities in second place and seek the Kingdom first. If we do this, recreation can benefit us.

12. How can Luke 14:28 help us to make decisions about our recreation?

¹² Before we make decisions about recreation, we need to think carefully about “the expense,” or the time it will involve. (Luke 14:28) Just as some things cost money, recreation costs, or uses up, time. We need to decide how much of our time we will use for recreation. We should not use so much time for recreation that we do not have enough time for important things like personal Bible study, family worship, attending Christian meetings, or preaching. (Mark  8:36) But if recreation will give us the energy to continue in our service to God, we may decide that to use our time for that activity will benefit us.

WHO ARE MY FRIENDS?

13. Why should we think carefully about the people we associate with in our recreation?

¹³ The third question is: Whom do I associate with in my recreation? The answer to this question is important because the people we associate with will affect whether we make good choices. For example, we enjoy eating meals when we are with other people. The same is true about recreation. We enjoy recreation more when we are with good friends. So it is understandable that many of us, especially young people, enjoy recreation with others. But before we choose our recreation, we need to decide who would be a good associate and who would be a bad associate. This will help us to make sure that recreation will benefit us.​—2 Chronicles 19:2; read Proverbs 13:20; James 4:4.

14, 15. (a) How does Jesus’ example help us to choose good friends? (b) When choosing friends, what questions should we ask ourselves?

¹⁴ Following Jesus’ example will help us make good friends. Jesus has always loved people. (Proverbs 8:31) While he was on earth, he showed love and respect for everyone. (Matthew 15:29-37) But Jesus knew that there was a difference between being friendly and being a close friend. Although Jesus was friendly to all people, he was not close friends  with everyone. His words to his 11 faithful apostles show us how he chose his close friends. He said: “You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you.” (John 15:14; see also John 13:27, 30.) The only people Jesus chose to be his close friends were those who followed him and served Jehovah.

¹⁵ Before you decide to choose someone as your close friend, it would be good to remember what Jesus said. Ask yourself these questions: Does this person show by what he says and what he does that he obeys the commands of Jehovah and Jesus? Does he love what is good and hate what is bad? Will he help me to put the Kingdom first in my life and to be a loyal servant of Jehovah? If you answer yes to these questions, you have a good friend with whom you can spend time in recreation.​—Read Psalm 119:63; 2 Corinthians 6:14; 2 Timothy 2:22.

DOES OUR RECREATION PASS THE TEST?

16. What should we ask ourselves about our recreation?

¹⁶ We have discussed three questions about recreation: what? when? and who? Before we participate in recreation, we must think carefully about the quality and quantity of our recreation and about the friends we choose to enjoy it with. For our recreation to benefit us, it must agree with the standards in the Bible. When we think about the quality of our recreation, we need to ask: What does it include? Is it the kind of recreation that Jehovah approves, or is it violent or immoral? (Proverbs 4:20-27) When we think about the quantity, we need to ask: How much time will I use for recreation? Is the activity worth the time I will use for it? (1 Timothy 4:8) And when we think about the friends we choose, we need to ask: Who will join me in this activity? Will they be good friends for me, or will they be bad associations?​—Ecclesiastes 9:18; 1 Corinthians 15:33.

17, 18. (a) How can we test to see if our entertainment agrees with the standards in the Bible? (b) What decision will you make about your recreation?

¹⁷ If our recreation does not agree with Bible standards in any of these three ways, it does not pass the test. But if our entertainment follows Bible standards in the three ways we talked about, our recreation will honor Jehovah and benefit us.​—Psalm 119:33-35.

¹⁸ So when we are making decisions about our recreation, we should do all we can to do the right thing at the right time and with the right people. It should be our desire to obey what the Bible tells us to do: “Whether you are eating or drinking or doing anything else, do all things for God’s glory.”​—1 Corinthians 10:31.

[Footnote]

SOME WORDS EXPLAINED

▪ Laws: Rules in the Bible that tell us what God says is right and wrong

▪ Principles: Basic truths from the Bible that help us to make good decisions

DO YOU REMEMBER?

How can the principles in these scriptures help you to make good choices in your recreation?

▪ Philippians 4:8

▪ Matthew 6:33

▪ Proverbs 13:20

[Study Questions]

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Choose recreation that Jehovah approves of and that benefits you

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Jesus chose only those who served Jehovah as his close friends

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The Kingdom should come first in our life

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We should do the right thing at the right time and with the right people

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✔What

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✔When

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✔Who

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How does Jesus’ example help us to choose good friends and good recreation?