Is This What I Live For?
April 28, 2011
Today I want to talk hockey. Specifically I want to talk Vancouver Canucks hockey. I do not wish however, to discuss the heart-stopping series just completed against the Blackhawks, nor will I interject my opinions concerning the upcoming series against the Predators. Believe me, my opinions wouldn’t be worth very much anyway with my very limited knowledge of the game.
Instead I would like to share something that’s been on my mind since the puck dropped at the start of the first game. You see, I’ve been mulling over the slogan being used to promote the playoffs here in Vancouver. Yes, I’m referring to the one that says, “This is What We Live For.”
As our family has enthusiastically followed our city’s beloved team, several times I’ve asked myself, “Shawn, what are you living for?” I guess what I’m saying is that statement has caused my to take an inventory of my priorities to be sure they are in the right order. As I’ve tried to assemble this priority inventory, the following is some questions that I’ve asked myself along with some Scripture verses:
1. Has my love for the Canucks become greater than my love for God? Mark 12:30 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
2. Has my desire to see them win the Stanley Cup eclipsed my desire to see lives changed by God’s grace? Acts 17:16 “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”
3. Am I following the playoffs more closely than I’m following the Lord? Ephesians 5:1 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.”
4. Am I more concerned about the Canucks than I am about others around me? Matthew 9:36 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”
5. Am I talking more about hockey than I am talking about the Saviour? Mark 5:19 “Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”
I am not against hockey or sports in general and believe me I will continue to cheer on the Canucks. However, I do want to be certain that no idol has been erected and placed on the throne of my heart; nor do I ever want the priority of living for Christ to take a back seat to living for a hockey team, or any other temporary thing as well. It all comes down to this one question, am I living for the Canucks or am I living for Christ (Philippians 1:21)? Personally I think I’ll keep on cheering for the Canucks, but continue living for Christ. He never disappoints and living for Him results in eternal blessings, not just temporary enjoyment.
