[Biblemat] A> Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

[Steven C. Harper]

From: TRUTH & REASON, a bulletin of the Glendale church of Christ, Glendale, AZ. 
Editor: Steven Harper 
September 16, 2007
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

 

     More and more, we are seeing those who emphasize the need for a reduction in waste and polluting materials and the message we often hear is "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." The catch phrase is meant to give us a simple guide for our daily life and an attempt to eliminate a building problem of where to put all the residual waste that comes along with the products we buy and use. The aim is to get us to, first, reduce the amount of products we buy, then reuse whatever materials we can [instead of simply throwing it away], and recycle the materials that can be used again [after a cleaning process and transformation into some other useful product - sometimes the same product, but with no new materials used]. I believe it is a wise thing to do anyway, so the idea and the attempt to do this is a worthy one.

    But I would like you to consider these words in a different light - something far more important than the issue of wasted materials and pollution. I would like you to consider these terms in light of spiritual matters! How so? Consider:

    Reduce: We need to reduce the amount of time we spend on useless things. This isn't a new problem, but it is one that is constantly growing because the world is constantly inventing new things with which man can waste his time and not think on spiritual matters. Surveys [Nielsen] tell us that the average American spends 4½ hours each day watching television - 4½ hours each day! That comes out to 31½ hours each week watching television. Now, add to that another Harris survey that tells us the average teen plays video games an average of 14 hours each week and now we are up to 45½ hours each week on TV and video games. And let us not forget the Internet! Surveys [Harris Interactive] also tell us that those under 30 spend an average of 25 hours each week on the Internet! That's 1838 hours each year watching TV, another 728 hours each year on video games, and another 1300 hours on the Internet for a total of 3866 hours on these things each year. [The average time spent at work each year is 2600 hours.] And I am sure those 1838 hours of watching television, the 728 hours of video games, and the 1300 hours on the Internet were spent watching the kind of shows, playing the kind of games, and viewing the kind of material on the Internet that build us up, spiritually-speaking, right?

    Hardly.

    With games like Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, Doom, and KillZone being some of the more popular games among teens [even though they are rated as "Mature" for adults only], I seriously doubt that these young folks are being spiritually edified. With TV shows like the recently-ended series called The Sopranos, Friends [no longer running on the network channels, but now in syndication], How I Met Your Mother, The Simpsons, and many others, I am doubtful our children [or any adults, for that matter] are experiencing any spiritual growth because they watch these shows. I would argue that their spiritual growth is either non-existent or in reverse!

    When we think about all the wasted hours we spend on these things [if we are guilty of doing such] we should be ashamed! We should pay close attention to the words of the psalmist, who said, "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless" (Psa. 101:3). We should remember that it is the one who "shuts his eyes from looking on evil" that will be blessed (Isa. 33:15, 16). We should pray, as did the psalmist, "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things" (Psa. 119:37). Who of us could honestly say that we spend enough time in the study of God's word? I am sure very few spend as much time in the study of the Bible as they do watching television, playing video games, and surfing the Internet, and it is showing in the churches across this country who are experiencing the results of a lack of knowledge of God's word. Let us not forget what happened to God's people of old because they lacked knowledge (Hos. 4:6)!

    Reuse: We need to use our Bibles over and over again. When I was a lot younger, I studied God's word diligently each week in preparation for the upcoming Bible classes on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. I made sure I knew the text we were going to be covering and I made sure I knew my memory verses, too. When I got older, I found that all that study actually stuck with me and when I began studying with my friends, fellow students, and co-workers, I remembered a lot more than I thought I would. But I also learned as I got even older than a lot of what I studied "way back when" was starting to get a little fuzzy. I knew I couldn't rely on my study from 20-30 years ago and I realized I had to make it a constant practice to study God's word ever more as the years pass by because my memory wasn't what it used to be.

    Jesus understood this attribute of all men even when He spoke to His apostles shortly before His crucifixion. He told them the Spirit would come and "teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (John 14:26). He was not going to depend on their faulty memories, but send to them One who would remind them of things they had already been taught! This idea carries over to Paul's instruction to Timothy when he wrote that he should "Remind" the brethren of the need for faithfulness and of avoiding useless quarrels (2 Tim. 2:11-14). That same idea was given to Titus, that he should "remind" the brethren "to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people" (Titus 3:1, 2). Was it that these brethren did not know these things? No! They simply needed a reminder - just as we all do! Much preaching that is done today is not "new" things the brethren must learn, but reminders of how we should live and what we should be doing. Even the best disciple will sometimes forget, and it is then we need to be diligent to be approved of God, rightly dividing His word (2 Tim. 2:15).

    Recycle: We need to pass on the words we have learned and which we follow to others. [The word recycle has one definition of adapting for new use without changing the essential nature of; we speak of the need for teaching others the words we used to obtain salvation.] If you are a Christian, you might remember that someone taught you the word of God and showed you the way out of sin. Maybe you studied those words on your own and came to the correct conclusion that you were in your sins and that you needed to obey the gospel. If that is you, then have you considered the fact that there are literally billions of people in the world who need to hear those same words? [I am sure that, at some point, you have.] But what have you done with those words? Have you set them on the shelf, never to be used by another? Are you "throwing away" the words of salvation, or are you recycling them? Are you taking those words and adapting them that you might teach others in a way that they will see it is applicable to them, too?

    We cannot over-emphasize the need for disciples to teach others! Paul told Timothy, "What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2); that is four generations of teachers in that one verse! What if just one did not "recycle" what had been given him? Friends and brethren, lost souls depend on our wise usage of God's word; are we doing our part?

    The world from which we escaped is filled with pollution and filth (cf. 2 Pet. 2:20); let us do our part to eliminate this by reducing, reusing, and recycling.                                            -- Steven Harper
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