Whether it be a sport, a club, or any other interest, most people spend time doing what they love. Although it is great to be involved in activities that bring us joy, it is important to make sure these interests do not take priority over God. Throughout the Bible, there is instruction for how we can enjoy our hobbies and please God simultaneously.
From personal experience, I have fallen into the trap of putting all my time and attention into playing basketball instead of keeping Jesus at the center of my life. My mind was filled with selfish thoughts about wanting to be better than everyone else, and doing whatever I could to get there. This mindset only left me feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.
My mindset changed when I realized that my hobbies should be used to glorify God. He gives us these groups and activities to be used as outlets for sharing his word and bringing more people to know him. Using basketball as an example, I got very close with my teammates from spending so much time with them. Since I cared about my team and felt comfortable with them, I began to teach them about Jesus. I realized that as much as I enjoyed the sport of basketball, it was the community of girls that I was with that gave me an opportunity to share the Gospel.
While my teammates served as the perfect audience to teach about Christianity, I still used my skill and ability to bring glory to God. I understood that my success was never my own. All my accomplishments and talents were gifts from God. No matter the compliments or accolades, I always remembered to acknowledge that the achievements wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for Christ. It is vital to give the Lord credit for our success and thank him for giving us the opportunity to do what we love.
God wants us to be involved and take pleasure in the activities that we do. After all, he is the one who gives us the abilities to participate in the hobbies that we take part in. He doesn’t, however, want us to do these activities for our own selfish desires and satisfaction. Everything that we do, we must do for the glory of God. Christ gives us these hobbies so that we can put in hard work and effort to succeed at them. By focusing on using our hobbies as service to the Lord, we are living purposefully and enjoying our passions while keeping our eyes on God at all times. Like Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 expresses, God wants us to do what we love, but if it wasn’t for the joy that comes from Christ alone, we wouldn’t appreciate all that we participate in. The happiness that we find in hobbies comes from God’s Spirit dwelling in us. We must thank God for providing us with our leisure activities, recognize that we wouldn’t find enjoyment if it weren’t for the Holy Spirit, and use our hobbies to bring Glory to our King!
Biblical References:
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).
“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25).
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17).