Winning the Battle

So, I learned something.
You may have heard the axiom "idle hands are the devils playground". It's true!
Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 "...we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle..." Warn agains what?
If you don't intentionalize (I made that word up!) your time, someone will do it for you -- and guess who that often is? The devil! Sure -- he'll fill up your time with meaningless talk, activities or even (dare I say it?) - sin! To the hungry person, any food (even canned peas) looks tasty! To the bored person, anything looks fulfilling and fun.
After coming home from a week in Mississippi, I realized that for a week or so, I hadn't felt the usual temptations that come along with life. And I figured it out: I just didn't have time to sin.
Oh, we could easily fill up our time with anything -- but I don't think that's good enough. That anything could easily become something that pulls us away from God and those we love.
Instead - what about intentionally filling our time with that which we know is honoring to God?
Hmmm, I think that's a good start.
Sitting around, allowing "boredom" is just asking for trouble, isn't it? Killing time by clicking through the channels or surfing the web -- really, where will that lead?
Never have I gone to bed at night saying "Wow, what a productive 2 hours of t.v. I just had, I sure feel good about myself." But whenever I'm busy doing God-honoring tasks, I feel a sense of God's blessing - without the guilt that so often trails behind "time wasters".
So, what can I do today -- for someone else? How can I help someone who's down on their luck? What kind of encouragement might I offer?
And how about you?
Life's too short to waste it and then feel guilty.
Intentionalize dude.