Childhood Obsessions

READ: Luke 2:41-52

WWE Owners Vince & Shane McMahon
Visit the House of the Lord in a 2006 Storyline

Were you obsessed with anything as a child?

I was obsessed with WWE. I watched it six nights a week. They didn’t have programming on Tuesday, so I went to my archives and popped in a VHS. I had every action figure. I went to the events. I wore the t-shirts. I talked about it at school; I whispered about it in church.

I was a lot like Jesus.

He was obsessed too. Only his obsession was with his Father.

Not surprising. He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) and said the greatest commandment in the law is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37) - an Old Testament quote which continues, “These commands I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)

Sounds like obsession to me.

2011 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Shawn Michaels

Now grown, I go to church every Sunday. I listen to praise and worship music every day. I regularly attend three Bible studies a week and am in the Word every day. I pray every morning and before every meal. God’s name is never far from my lips; He is always in my thoughts. 

Do these things make me any more loved by God? No, but how can I not love Him with an obsessive love? His amazing grace saved a wretch like me.

All We Need Is Love, Matthew 22:34-40

I went to the memorial service of a friend from church today, Kurt Jones, whose situation mirrored my father’s in many ways. Both men were sixty-three years old, both just recently found out they had stage four cancer, both died within a week of each other, and most importantly both love Jesus Christ and as they were dying they were able to tell those around them that loving God was all that mattered.

Our scripture text today is one of many where the religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

Jesus understood what was important and we expect him to since he was God’s son and he was close to the father. I love it though when we experience moments when those around us, who are suffering, teach us about what is really important. Instead of complaining or cursing God, my father and Kurt reminded us what it’s all about, God

Perhaps it was because they were so close to seeing the father that everything came into focus for them and the pain didn’t matter. Everything they had believed and studied over the years finally came full circle and they knew all that mattered was God and his glory.

Jesus words are for all of us. So let’s learn from these men and others in our lives that have followed Jesus teachings and spend our days loving God.

Read today’s passage at Biblegateway Matthew 22: 34-40