Technology And Time
". . . the very same tools that teach light and truth can, with the same ease but with different strokes of the keys, bring to view some of the most vile, sordid, wicked, and immoral material.
Indeed, we have been blessed with magnificent tools and methods which can be used to assist in teaching, but as with all tools, they are to be used with wisdom and discretion if they are to bless and simplify our lives. Just as fire under control brings so many comforts and benefits, a fire improperly used or out of control wreaks havoc and destruction.
. . . We must learn to make wise use of the tools and technology that we have.
Wise use of our technology would include care in that which we invite into our homes by the way of television, videos, computers, including the Internet. There is much that is good and edifying in the media, but there is also much that is gross, immoral, and time-consuming, enticing us to be "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 3:7).
During the Second World War when gasoline was in short supply and rationed, I remember signs saying, "Is this trip necessary?" Today, with ever-increasing demands on everyone and time in short supply, might we ask ourselves before we turn on the video game, the television, the computer, or access the many programs available, "Is this trip necessary?"
Perhaps every person who is listening might also ask these questions of himself or herself and expect an honest reply:
"Is the information I am receiving from this tool of learning edifying, and adding truth into my life? Are the hours I am investing an effective use of my valuable time? Does this computer game assist me in fulfilling my responsibilities and goals?" If the answer is not a resounding yes, then we should have the courage and determination to click the off button and direct our lives to more important tasks.