Summary: "All activities/actions (except one) should be seen as only means to an end. If things are ends only, they are overused and it is called sin. If they are means, they will be balanced properly. The only activity that can be an end might best be described as growing a relationship with God."
Definitions: means - method by which you get something else. Get a job to make money.
end - goal that has inherent value not attached to anything else. Being happy (maybe)
"All things in moderation" is not from the bible, but I'll use it anyway.
I'll start off with an example. I was homeschooled and two years ago I went to college. I was puzzled and jealous of common chit-chat which I did not understand. I could easily tell that people were enjoying themselves, but I didn't know why. Therefore, for the next year and a half, I made it one of my goals to understand why people hang out. At all opportunities, oftentimes sacrificing school and athletics, I would join chatting groups or parties. I may have been more 'social' than a lot of people I know, but I rarely fully enjoyed myself. I am normally straight-A but I got two B's last semester, my athletic career got fairly stunted, I became sleep deprived, and my digestion got thrown off.
This is an example of valuing something as an end only. I didn't know why socialization was useful, so I didn't have any calculable limits on how much I hung out with people. As a result, everything else suffered. I finally did figure out why people hang out, and now I don't stick around very long aster I lose interest in a conversation, and most of the time I will only say 'hi' or completely bypass groups of friends and go do homework instead. Why? I know why socializing is useful, so I only use it as much as I need/want it. [at the end of this post I'll explain the results of my 1-year long search] I am still recovering from gut and sleep issues, and I will have to work extra hard next season to get my sports back up to par.
Now, here's the logic of it. Do not treat anything except a relationship with God as an end. You will grasp as much of it as you can and never be satiated. There will be no equation by which you can moderate how much you take of it. Say, for instance, it is money. You will work all your life accumulating money, maybe even put off retirement for a while, in order to gain money. You have lost sight of why you want money. [probably to go on cruises after you're retired (I'll refrain from soap-boxing here)]
When something is only a means, it has a certain calculable impact on your end. Different means will have different impacts (make different amounts of progress) towards your goal depending on how much you use other means. The result is a large equation which allocates your resources to many different activities in order to maximize your true goal. You will have a balanced life.
P.S - don't be like me and spend too much time calculating. If you know the truth your gut instincts will guide you with really good accuracy (not to mention the holy spirit)
It would be good to define the only end - relationship with God. This has been my goal for about 3 years now, to find the absolute most central thing in the universe.
Side note: the story of the world is of restoration of people and nature to their intended state of being - snyc with god. Basically Avatar (the blue people) style.
Relationship: must have communication between two people. So you need to understand who God is (theology), who you are (confession of sin), and talk (prayer + holy spirit). Real physical things also come from God to us. He gives you constant reminders of who he is (God-moments, the universe, people, EVERYTHING), abilities (secular jobs and ministry), resources to keep you on track (community of people, spouses, bible, etc), etc. We naturally give back worship (along with the way you live, all forms of art can be worship), evangelism (we get to join in on Gods huge plan), secular work (subdue the earth - Genesis 1:28), humanitarian work (creation/nature will be restored too), etc.
Religious application: what is your goal?
To know as much as you can about God? - you will never go out and be useful in the kingdom.
To convert as many people as possible? - You will never follow up on them. (well, that depends on how far you plan into the future, converts may become future evangelists if you nurture them]You might also slowly drift away from the truth due to lack of attention to the bible. Perhaps people would stress out, degenerate and you'd end up with over-worked and dissatisfied crowds.
To prove God absolutely? - You will become intolerant of emotional people and probably depressed when you fail.
To leave a legacy? - You will become obsessed with memorabilia, names, and pride.
How's that? I don't have too much more to say.
Oh yes! Why do people hang out?
It's like when two lion cubs wrestle each other to the ground and play-bite/fight. It's practice and education. Social groups are spontaneously formed classrooms where people share things they've learned, experiences which have taught them things, useful tools or places they've found, etc. People also practice what they learn. They debate sometimes, boys play-fight with each other, some high-school girls have intricate and bloody friend/enemy statuses within a very small group (to learn about non-romantic relationships), even jokes are making fun of annoying/serious things in order to tell us that they're really not that dangerous.
Ok, anyone have questions?
