To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
There is an appointed and fitting season for every purpose and every undertaking under heaven. That order includes a rightful place for restorative recreation among the activities of life, with a clear distinction between recreation that restores and mere amusement.
Ordinary school study has its own appointed time, yet that appointment must never be used to make scheduled study seem too precious to interrupt. It must not become a reason to restrict or repel the Holy Spirit when He is present and at work. At such a time ordinary lessons should be laid aside for a season in order to seek God and receive a lesson of heavenly value and importance, greater than the lesson set aside.
Singing, talking, and weeping likewise each have their proper times and must not be mingled with important duties when they distract from them. Carefree singing that produces neglect is akin to shirking lessons, while singing is not wrong when the day's thinking and duties are finished and it brings no forgetfulness of duty. The same principle required that when the publishing work in Nashville was begun it should have been carried forward in orderly, straightforward lines, with workers centered on its purpose, showing that they understood and sought God's purposes and using the means at hand wisely.
There is an appointed and fitting season for every purpose and every undertaking under heaven. That order includes a rightful place for restorative recreation among the activities of life, with a clear distinction between recreation that restores and mere amusement.
Ordinary school study has its own appointed time, yet that appointment must never be used to make scheduled study seem too precious to interrupt. It must not become a reason to restrict or repel the Holy Spirit when He is present and at work. At such a time ordinary lessons should be laid aside for a season in order to seek God and receive a lesson of heavenly value and importance, greater than the lesson set aside.
Singing, talking, and weeping likewise each have their proper times and must not be mingled with important duties when they distract from them. Carefree singing that produces neglect is akin to shirking lessons, while singing is not wrong when the day's thinking and duties are finished and it brings no forgetfulness of duty. The same principle required that when the publishing work in Nashville was begun it should have been carried forward in orderly, straightforward lines, with workers centered on its purpose, showing that they understood and sought God's purposes and using the means at hand wisely.