Thou Shalt Not Envy
The hint of Autmun is already
in the air
as the night air brings cool
relief to the
daytime heat. Sweating buckets
I dream of
the winter and await the cooler
time ahead.
I think of the people who work
a little farther
north and I envy them for they
don't have
to deal with this humidity so
thick that
you need SCUBA gear just to breathe.
Then
I am reminded that we are not
to do that...envy.
It is easy to do and you can
get so caught
up in it that you become embittered.
It's
an easy trap to fall into and
that is why
we are warned...do not envy.
If you take an honest look at
this sport
we call bodybuilding you can't
help but admit
that it is so full of sin. Besides
ego and
self-worship, I think envy is
one of those
driving forces in bodybuilding.
It causes
many to lose focus on the goals
they wanted
to achieve when they picked up
that first
plastic or cast iron set of barbells
in their
basement or backyard. We wanted
to get bigger,
have muscles, not get sand kicked
in our
faces like you used to see in
the back of
the comic books, etc. As we grew
though,
something happened. We saw others
like us
who were at it for a few years
and they WERE
bigger! "Man, I wish I could
be that
big!" Just one of the thoughts
that
may have run through a young
teen mind. So,
we bought all the muscle mags
we could find,
drank protein shakes that tasted
like chalk
and downed eggs ala Rocky. Only
if you were
like me, they came right back
up again! However,
the seeds of envy were planted.
For some,
the envy took a back seat to
admiration and
determination to just work harder
and smarter.
Watch the diet, get good sleep
and train
with some focused intensity and
desire. For
others the door to envy was knocked
wide
open and shortcuts were sought.
Gym locker
rooms became the haven for selling
juice,
or whatever they call it these
days. The
stuff was sold like drug dealers
on a street
corner, or in many instances,
right out in
the open with a boldness that
only comes
with stupidity. Notable growth
ensued and
everyone wanted to know the secret.
In hushed
tones, they were told and they
had to make
a choice: To take them or not
to take them.
"But hey, if your going
to compete,
this is the way to get the edge.
it is the
ONLY way to get the edge,"
you were
told. Ah, that was the question.
But, how
deep had the envy asp bitten?
I bet that
those that took the easy route
never did
win the big show, or never even
competed.
Yes, they got bigger, but at
what cost? That
youth of 30 years ago now has
the internal
organs of an aging man with tumors
growing
that wouldn't have been there
otherwise.
Liver functions well below normal,
and in
the worst case, already passed
away. Take
a look at all of the bodybuilders
of yesteryear
who used and are now dead. Genetically
predisposed
to an early death? Maybe, but
I doubt it.
I don't want this to turn into
a lecture
but I do want us to think about
the path
that envy can lead us down: destruction,
bitterness and death.
As Christians, it can be so easy
to get caught
up in envy and as my pastor says,
"don't
tell me you haven't been there,
you ain't
that holy!" We try to lead
a better
life - one pleasing to God, but
of course
we fail miserably every day.
Envy is one
of those things that rises up
and bites us.
Envy is not a new notion. The
writers of
the Psalms experienced it as
well. (Psalm 73) If writers of parts of the Bible are guilty
of it, how could we not be? You
toil at your
job, try to be a good witness,
try to live
a life pleasing to God, and yet
you are falling
further and further behind in
your bills
as prices rise all over the place.
Yet, the
atheist down the road prospers
like nobody's
business. The Bibles says that
the rain falls
upon the just and the unjust.
(But I say to you, love your enemies, bless
those who curse you, do good
to those who
hate you, and pray for those
who spitefully
use you and persecute you, that
you may be
sons of your Father in heaven;
for He makes
His sun rise on the evil and
on the good,
and sends rain on the just and
on the unjust.
Matthew 5:44-45) The thing is my friends is that when the
atheist dies, all he has acquired
will be
left behind for others. The Bible
says the
wealth of the unrighteous will
be stored
up for the righteous. (A good man leaves an inheritance for his
children's children, but a sinner's
wealth
is stored up for the righteous.
Psalm 13:22) When we as Christians pass away, we will
have life eternal with our Father.
Does it
get any better than that? When
times are
difficult remember to put on
the full armor
of God (Ephesians 6) and do all you can do to stand. Don't envy
those who are ungodly and prosperous
for
thier rewards are of this earth
alone. They
will have no joy and life with
our Lord after
they pass away.
And now our prayer. Lord, we
often get sidetracked
with things that go on in our
daily life
that keep us drifting away from
you, please
forgive us! We pray for the envy
we feel
to be replaced with the joy we
know we will
experience when we are in your
presence for
all eternity. Help us see with
Your eyes
and not the eyes of the flesh.
In Jesus'
name we pray. Amen!
Now, go with God and lift that
iron!
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