Live Coals: A Good Time

A Good Time

How are you celebrating the coming new year? Many people will have the time of their life at the cost of their life. Consider what God intended in good, healthy fun through the insightful words of yesteryear.

“I hope that none of you, my friends, have fallen into the delusion that your mission in life is to enjoy yourself.

Fun Times Are a Spice, not a Staple

You just hand me a list of the people you find at all hours of day and night at places of entertainment, and in one minute I will give you a list of the people who are sacrificing themselves for both worlds. Pepper, and salt, and sugar, and cinnamon (or ketchup!) are very important, but that would be a very unhealthful repast that had nothing else on the table. Amusements and recreations are the spice and condiment of the great banquet. But some of you over-pleasuring people are feeding the body and soul on condiments.

Again, It is only those who have work to do– and are doing it well– it is only such persons who are really entitled to the amusements and recreations of this life. I know many people think this is a sarcastic passage which says,

“Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.”
Ecclesiastes 11:9

It is not sarcastic, it is not ironical; it simply means to say, have a good time, have a real good time, but do not go into anything that will be affrighted by the judgment throne.

Do not forget your duties.

Do not forget you are immortal.

We are to make these recreations of life preparations for practical usefulness.

A Watchful Prayer

My brother, if at the close of any recreation or amusement you go home at night and cannot go down on your knees and say, “O Lord, bless the amusement and entertainment of this night to my better qualification for usefulness!” that is an amusement in which you ought not to have engaged.

Living is a tremendous affair, and alas! for the man who makes recreation a depletion instead of an augmentation.”

-T. DeWitt Talmage