April Newsletter
Greetings and a resounding He
has risen!
This is the best time of the
year, isn't
it? Resurrection Day - the best
day! The
day that we were bought and paid
for with
the most dearest of payments!
Jesus died
for us, for our sins. Yikes,
we are so not
worth it, but God loves us and
thinks we
are! When I was young I used
to watch a Christian
puppet-type show, "Davie
and Goliath."
I don't know if many are familiar
with this
show, but the little boy, Davie
and his dog,
Goliath were always getting into
one thing
or another and there was always
a Bible message
to be learned. Well, there was
this one story
where Davie got stuck in a rail
car and he
was very scared. The rhythm of
the car on
the rails hummed along with its
usual clickety-clack,
but that sound soon became the
soothing words
of "God is everywhere"
to Davie.
That is how the newsletter came
about for
me this month. Only the words
were "bought
at a price." Naturally I
assumed that
since Resurrection Day was approaching,
this
was why I was thinking about
that. As usual,
I was wrong. It is the topic
of the newsletter
as God always directs me. It
just takes me
a while to catch on at times.
As Christians,
we have been bought at a price
and in the
bodybuilding world, a physique
can also be
bought, but at what price?
It is sad to see that in the
world of weight
lifting and sports in general,
gone is the
day of eating good food, getting
plenty of
sleep and lifting weights to
attain the desired
goal of bigger muscles or become
a better
athlete. Now, kids are bombarded
by pro athletes
on television and being quoted
in the newspaper
saying that using steroids is
OK and not
harmful. Children idolize and
worship these
athletes and often, their word
carries a
lot more weight than that of
their parents.
Or worse yet, their parents too
are the deliverers
of this garbage! We are told
that there are
no lasting side affects to steroid
use and
abuse. Really? Tell that to Steve
Michalik
or better yet, Lyle Alzado! Now,
I know that
as soon as those names are mentioned
that
there is some steroid abuser
who will spout
off that these men had some other
thing wrong
with them that caused their illness
and death
(Lyle Alzado's). Yet, they refuse
to look
at the countless studies and
tests done that
show this stuff just ain't no
good! Yes,
steroids work in promoting muscle
growth.
They do all the things they are
touted to
do. BUT at what price? That physique,
home
run record, 100-yard dash record,
any record
set while on this stuff for that
matter,
is it worth it? What is the price
you pay?
Steve Michalik knows and he gladly
tells
everyone who will listen. I know,
I know,
you may be a 25 year old who
is just wants
to add a few more inches to your
chest, but
hey, how about that 13 year old
on the corner
looking for the edge to make
the freshman
team in high school? Think I
am exaggerating?
Trust me, I am not! Visit the
NIDA site at
http://www.nida.nih.gov/drugpages.html
and
read what it has to say. Steroid
abusers
will claim that effects are not
permanent.
Really? How many 13 year olds
on steroids
have been studied when they are
50 year olds?
The abusers don't have the answer,
or the
degree to study this abuse. They
latch on
to one or two studies that suggest
there
are no harmful lasting side effects,
learn
them by heart and quote them
as rebuttal.
Isn't that typical of all abusers?
Gone are
fair play and the joy of the
game. The price
has become too high, in my opinion.
I don't
want my child to pay that price
and you shouldn't
either. Draw the line! The price
is too high!
"For you were bought at
a price; therefore
glorify God in your body and
in your spirit,
which are God's." (1 Corinthians
6:20)
Wow, I could pretty much end
this segment
right here, huh? Before you read
on, please
sit back and think about that
Scripture and
what it means. Jesus died for
our sins. We
were bought at the most expensive
of prices.
The most dear in all the world.
Only now
can we get into Heaven. Thank
you Jesus.
"Therefore, glorify God
in your body."
That is one of the things we
look to as Christian
bodybuilders. We no longer train
for vanity
and ego, although it can be a
battle at times
if we are honest with ourselves.
We do it
for the Lord. It is the platform
we use to
talk about His word and saving
Grace, the
Good News, we do it as an enjoyment,
a life-style.
As Christians we are told to
play fair, play
by the rules, "And also
if anyone competes
in athletics, he is not crowned
unless he
competes according to the rules."
(2
Timothy 2:5). According to the
rules. Not
"If I just do one or two
cycles of steroids
to get an edge" but according
to the
rules. We answer to a different
authority
and should lead by example. "For
if
anyone sees you who have knowledge
eating
in an idol's temple, will not
the conscience
of him who is weak be emboldened
to eat those
things offered to idols? (1 Corinthians
8:10).
We have an obligation to do so.
As Christians,
whether we like it or not, we
are watched.
We are watched and judged by
those in the
world and sadly, other Christians
on a regular
basis. If we fall into the trap
of the world,
we are just like the world. We
are told in
1 Corinthians 7:23 "You
were bought
at a price; do not become slaves
of men."
Yes, there are Christian bodybuilders
out
there using steroids. Yes, they
are illegal
and yes it is sinful to do so.
However, WE
are not to judge them for it.
Everyone is
at a different place in his or
her walk.
Each person has his or her own
demon to cast
off. Let us help them instead
of criticize
them. Think about this for a
moment. There
is a competition with all natural
Christian
bodybuilders. One enters who
abuses steroids
and he wins. His happiness and
jubilation
lasts only but a moment when
he realizes
he won unfairly. The other Christian
men
congratulate him for his victory,
even though
they know the truth. They rejoice
because
even in their defeat, God gets
glory. The
fellowship among the athletes
is powerful
as they give prayers of thanks
for a wonderful
showing at the event. The abuser?
He feels
conviction. God is still glorified!
Yes,
we were bought at a price. Let's
give it
our best shot to honor that!
And now our prayer. God thank
You for sending
us Your Son. He is the greatest
of gifts.
Give us the strength to honor
the price that
was paid for our salvation as
we contend
with the daily temptations that
come our
way. In Jesus Name we pray. Until
next time
all! Go with God and Lift that
iron!
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