The matter of recreation is never a problem to a consecrated person. Anyone who is not absolute in his consecration has a problem with recreation. Among God’s children, the matter of recreation does not exist to those who are consecrated. In order to settle the matter of recreation, one must first settle the matter of consecration. As long as our consecration is not settled, the matter of recreation cannot be settled. A man who has not settled the matter of consecration may approve what God disapproves. This is why we must first deal with our consecration.
After the matter of consecration is settled, we can speak about the purpose of recreation.
We speak about recreation not because of our personal need, but because of the children in our family, that is, our next generation. Recreation is not a problem at all to those who are consecrated, but there are other people in our family. We have children, and we also have brothers and sisters. If they, too, are consecrated, then we will not have a problem. But often they are not consecrated, and our attitude is very much related to them. The kind of recreation we allow or do not allow makes a great difference to them. We speak of the matter of recreation because we want to lead our family in the proper direction.
Sometimes we ourselves also need diversion. To what extent should this diversion be considered proper? How far can a Christian go? We need to see some basic principles before the Lord.
What kind of recreation should parents permit for their children? What recreation is considered proper as far as Christians are concerned? As God’s children, we should all be clear about this. If we have a breach in this matter, the world will come into our family. It will be difficult to drive the world away from our children once it enters our family. In order to preserve our family for the Lord, we have to pay attention to the matter of recreation.
Recreation is scriptural and is compatible with the Lord’s will. First of all, we have to acknowledge man’s need for recreation. A Christian should not go to the extreme. Man has a need for recreation. Many people are very busy with their schedules. If they do not have some kind of diversion, it is easy for them to become sick; their health can quickly deteriorate. The basic principle of recreation is that it should offer some diversion in our life. This is especially necessary for the young ones. We should not expect them to study from morning until night. They must have some kind of recreation. We should not expect them to do the same thing all day long. They must have diversions. We must be clear first about this underlying principle.
The Lord spoke of children playing flutes and dancing in the streets (Luke 7:32). This dancing is different from the dancing in a ballroom. This dancing and flute-playing are the result of joy. There is nothing wrong with such merry-making. In fact, there is the need for such things. The basic principle of recreation is diversion. A person has been working for five, six, or eight hours. He has been doing the same thing over and over again. This easily can tire him out. Doing the same thing over and over again easily strains one’s nerves and tires one’s body. There is the need to have a change, a diversion. This diversion will relieve one’s tiredness. A change in work recovers a person from his fatigue.
After a child studies for eight hours in school, he needs to come home to play. This kind of playing affords him a break from his regular schedule. However, jumping and playing around for eight hours is not a break. We must acknowledge the need for a break and diversion in our lives, but we cannot make recreation our whole life. A man can turn away from his work to something else when he is tired, but he cannot pursue recreation all day long. Some people like to go for a swim in the summer. I do not see anything wrong with this. It is all right to swim for half an hour or an hour when one is tired, but if a person stays in the water all day long like a duck, it is not recreation. I would like to point out to you that when a man has a problem with recreation, the recreation in itself is not his problem; rather, his problem is with his living.
Some people charge that Christians have no recreation, but they really do not know what they are saying. Can something be recreation when one indulges in it all day and all night? These activities are bondages to a person; they are not recreation. Strictly speaking, very few people have problems with recreation itself. Most problems come from man’s indulgence in recreation. Some people indulge in activities three days and three nights in a row. Their recreation has become their life. Only such people will say that it is difficult being a Christian. Everyone who has a problem with recreation is an extreme person. They have made recreation their whole life. We must be clear that man has a need for diversion, but he does not have a need for indulgence. He has a need for respite, but he does not have a need for his whole life to revolve around respite. All things are lawful, but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for us, but we will not be brought under the power of anything. If we indulge in something day and night, it means that we are enslaved by that thing. It is a great mistake to indulge in something this way.