I recall hearing a man ask this question, “What game are you playing?” Of course, he was referring to the game of life, and implying that in this game you must play it well to win. What he also said was that at the end of the day this is only a game, and you must always keep this in mind.
There is a line in an old movie that I think fits beautifully here. A man and a woman are having dinner, he is talking about the responsibilities of work, and while she agrees that there is pressure, she asks him this question,“But, where do you live?” My interpretation is simply, “Where does life hold the most significance for you?”
For five years we lived in the United Kingdom where we met a man and his family who had moved to England from Canada. He was an architect with a very good business and a large family, but when he felt the call to move abroad he did it. He understood that the most relevant work that he would ever do was to advance the Kingdom of God. In doing so he was complying with many points in Scripture. The first being love God with all your spirit, soul, and body, and the second to love others as you love yourself. To me this is where the rubber meets the road, and when we understand this command we will make traction!
We all know that life for us is a relatively short stay here on earth. It is not a time that we want to waste, especially when we know the significance of what we do here and its reflection on eternity. I want to approach these days with joy, but with the seriousness that surrounds them as well. We don’t want to be playing at being a Christian and actually miss the truth of what it means. For many of us we are faithful with our church attendance, we serve the body of believers in our fellowships, but do we look at what we do for God as separate from our vocations? The truth is we are called to fellowship with believers, but our real work is outside the walls of the church. It is outside that we have the ability to bring the light of Jesus into a darkening world.
There are many unbelievers that are caught up in the game of survival, game of pleasure, and the game of acquiring as much as possible. They are misdirected, and instead of seeking the Name above all names, they are keen to make a name for themselves. We have an opportunity to share our understanding of God, and by doing do we can introduce them to the only real game changer, Jesus!
James 4:14 CSB “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring-what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.”