Entertainment Vs Religion

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-3)

What are some of the super-hot(some may have gone cold, I'm not sure, but I bet it's still hot) online games nowadays? Well, from what I have listened and saw, it may be Cabal, DotA(Dawn of the Ancients - a game play map of Warcraft III), or even Maple Story. There are actually lots more(not only games, but also movies and tens of hundreds more), but I just want to name these few and focus on them. Here are some of the comments that I found through various websites:

CABAL Online- RPG(Role-playing game)

Take this!

Oops! Sorry!

"This game catches you the more you play it...it hasn't great graphics...better than WOW though but it's very innovative." - Person A* (he gave a rating of 9.0/10)

"The MMORPG of your dream... "- Person B* (this guy gave a rating of 9.5/10)

"Good game if you haven't got anything better to do. Has descent game play but the game hasn't got a good world." - Person C* (sadly, he rated this game 5.0/10)

DotA Online - RPG

Pretty graphics, you reckon?

You're dead meat!

"DotA is probably the best WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne map ever. A great variety of game modes, a very rich sortiment of items, 79 different heroes, each with carefully designed abilities to fit the hero. Balance changes are made often, to make sure that every hero have the chance to be great in the hands of a good player.The DotA community has expanded a lot, and continue to grow all the time. Leagues and tournaments are played. Many professional gamers have formed teams, and started devoting their time to DotA." - Person D* (superb, he rated it at 9.8/10, and even gave a whole list of index on heroes, powerups, and such)

Maple Story - RPG

Hey, whassup dude? Checkout my mushroom pet, aawwww, isn't it adorable?


Aargh! What is this place!

"Masterpiece".."The one and only place where you can say LOL as much as you want and not get punched in the face for it..." - Person E* (rated this game at 9.5/10)

"Highly addictive, BEST GAME EVER!!!! " - Person F* (WHOA! gave this game a 10/10)

"All flash, no substance"...."Hacker infested and waste of time" - Person G* (3.0/10, shocking? there's even a rating of 1.5)

*Identity is anonymous for privacy reasons.

This is not all, there are thousands and perhaps millions of good comments and also bad ones.

Indeed, these games are highly addictive. Some of my friends(no offence) can't even leave their seat playing for over 9 hours! (Caution: Don't read the next sentence if you are faint-hearted)Shockingly, some online gamers also put a few empty bottles beside their computers for their storage of their urine! This is to prevent them from wasting time to go to the toilet.

Well, games are just a part of the entertainment world. There are others like TV, movies, clubbing, shopping, and people who are 'singer-holics'(people who are truly crazy about their singer idols, some even 'worship' them). It is hard to leave these entertainment alone and have a quiet time with God alone(this means a time to pray to Him, praise Him, read and study His Words in the Bible). The colourful and worldly pleasures are just too tempting to resist. Some even gave their body up for immoral activities and 'worship' their singers, actors, in-game character, and likewise. I came across this verse in the Bible: "set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Collossians 3:2-3). God created us and gave us life. "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption....through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His Will." (Ephesians 1:4-5) God paid the dearest of prices to redeem us from our life of sins and independence from Him. We were dead in our trespasses and sins; we were condemned to death row for all eternity. And justly because of our sins. Yet the Father gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place by the most brutal deaths. He did this when we were walking our own way, not even realizing the price He was paying. We are God's creation.

We should focus our life on God and what is unseen(eternal life in Heaven). Like what I have learnt, Jesus first. I myself is a hardcore gamer(I'm serious) last time but due to the amounting studies and activities, I have to gradually leave my games alone . I can still remember during one time, I was so into playing Maple Story until I promised myself to level up my character at least one level per week, no matter what. Soon, this affects my study time and my time with God. But, after playing it for about 4 months, my computer was attacked by some sort of virus and my whole computer was sent for repair. My whole game was deleted from the system and I did not get my PC back after 1 week. My big exam was also coming soon and I decided to cut-out Maple from my gaming time. My sis told me that it was a blessing in disguise but I didn't take her seriously. Soon after that, I began to realized what she said was true. I started to get active in church activities and spend more time with God. I also started to read the Bible everyday and found out that God's Word is very precious. His Words are the Bread of my Life. Without it, I could easily fall into the earthly desires in this world. I believe that everything happens for a reason because it is God's Will. Praise God, I now also understand that I have to please God in whatever I do and not just do something to please people and does not meet God's favour. At the end of the day, we shall asked ourselves, "have I pleased my God?"

I'm not saying that playing games, watching movies, or enjoying some entertainment are wrongdoings(I play some PC games and watch movies sometimes). It is just that we should not overdo it and make them into our 'god', as well as spending most of your lifetime on entertainment until it affects your life and physical, mental health. We have to remember the real purpose in life and focus our attention more onto our eternal life with God as well as the Word of God. This is because the His Words are the bread of our life. "The Word of God is Living and Powerful." (Hebrews 4:12) For all these entertainment can only delight us for a while and not give us everlasting joy. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18) Only through our faith in Jesus Christ, can then we obtain real peace and great joy. Other than that, these worldly pleasures may also bring us towards our destruction instead of happiness. If we do are not careful, we may fall into the devil's trap and regret forever. The Word of God warned us: "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; ..." (Galatians 5:13) Instead, we should live by the Spirit. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." (Galatians 5:16-17)

We should also divide our time properly. We have to spend time with God(this means praying, praising, worshipping, and reading His Words in the Bible). God is our Father in Heaven and we are like His children. We must honour our body and take good care of our health. For our body is the body of Christ and should be Holy. "...in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)

As we can see nowadays and read, social problems are increasing at its peak. The Word of God says: "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21) To live by the Spirit, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.......Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." (Galatians 5:22-26)

May we always remind ourselves that we should set our eyes on the things above and not on the pleasures and desires of the world. For when we have Jesus first in our life, we can say like what Paul, one of Jesus' apostles said:

"..Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

God bless.

P/S: Comments are very welcomed for a friendly discussion.