Original: September 19, 2007
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength has failed because of my iniquity and me body has wasted away. Psalm 31:10 (NASB)
My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. Psalm 31:10 (NIV)
Summer workouts before college football season were intense. Essentially, summer is a two-and-a-half month window for a college football player to put on muscle weight, increase strength, and speed. I always took pride in showing up to camp strong and in shape. Out of the 90 or so guys on our squad I was usually in the top five or so guys with a bench press of over 375 pound while weighing in at 215 pounds.
The was much anticipation and a little trepidation, as the Santa Clara Broncos rolled into town from all over the country to live in the "The Alameda" apartments for two weeks of Double and Triple Days prior to the season opener. There was always a buzz among coaches and players about who showed up to camp looking good and others who had obviously done nothing. Those who had done nothing were usually fatter, slower, weaker and dumber (because many were on scholarship) than they had potential to be. Their total lack of fitness was a result of their total lack of effort and not only did they hurt themselves but the team paid for it as well.
I think the psalmist was correct when he found a correlation between his physical strength and sin when he wrote, “My strength has failed because of my iniquity.”
Sin weakens a man.
Sin takes away our youth, our strength, and our energy. When a man stays up late watching Sports Center, on the Internet or gaming instead of getting that extra hour of sleep, he is tired, weaker, has less love, patience and energy than he would have if he had made a wise choice to get sleep. Furthermore his lack of sleep makes him more susceptible to sin and sickness.
Those who over indulge in food on a consistent basis are more prone to gout, asthma, indigestion, heart disease, Type II diabetes and many others issues. Those who misuse tobacco are at higher risk for cancer, not to mention how much smoking ages the face and gives you that unmistakably raspy sound in the vocal chords called "smokers voice". Drinking too much can lead to liver damage, life damage, and a lack of follow through on every aspect of life. We could go on and on about drugs, pride, pornography, and greed couldn't we?
One tool a man should use to monitor his personal holiness is by his strength and energy levels throughout the course of the day and week. Strength is a great measuring rod for sin.
Sin weakens a man.
Sin is greedy, always wanting more. Sin kills (Romans 6:23). Sin is the crease in our armor. Sin is the weakest link. Sin not only has spiritual ramifications but obvious physical ones as well.
Where has sin weakened your body?
