Every year a story surfaces about a famous athlete who’s professional career comes to an end or is put into jeopardy due to a poor decision. Whether its being at the wrong place, usually well past midnight, committing a heinous crime or a self-inflicted addiction to a drug, its hard for outsiders to comprehend how someone set for life financially could throw it away overnight. Unfortunately, former NFL first round draft pick Johnny Manziel may be the next contestant after a TMZ video aired during the Cleveland Browns bye week. Following a summer in alcohol rehab, Manziel appeared to be on the road to recovery until footage of Johnny at a wild party. Thus, even grown men embrace things that will kill their dreams.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full, John 10:10.
You don’t have to be a star athlete to become ensnared by temptations in life. Some may struggle to control their eating, unable to put down unhealthy food. Others tend to pursue questionable companions, often resulting in a corruption of character. Meanwhile, a lack of discipline can allow the devil to gain a foothold in the lives of misguided individuals, going down a road that most fail to escape. Subsequently, when day turns to night, embracing things that will kill you become a way of life.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it, Matthew 7:13.”
Life is hard enough to endure without any distractions. However, when you add a co-dependency on a drug, a body starving for nutrition and a peers who encourage you to do whatever you feel like, danger comes a knocking. If you study the days of Judges in Israel, this is exactly what happened, “doing what’s right in their own eyes.” When truth becomes skewed, chaos ensues as individuals justify their decision to embrace things that will kill you gradually. As the line between right and wrong turns to gray, may the Lord help those on the verge of disaster, make a U-Turn toward God before its too late.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 