Men of Sunday by Curtis Eichelberger

Author:Curtis Eichelberger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2012-07-18T16:00:00+00:00

5

TEMPTATION

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God

—galatians 5:19–21

Attractive young women send NFL players nude photos with offers of free sex. Others hang out in hotel lobbies waiting for the team buses to arrive so they can present themselves and a girlfriend for a group party. And then there are the crazies, who try to climb into players’ dorm windows during training camp or call them at home during dinner with their families.

The Bible is filled with examples of men who have been felled by women: Eve tempted Adam into betraying God by eating the forbidden fruit. Delilah wooed Samson into cutting his locks. And David committed adultery with the beautiful Bathsheba, then sent her husband into battle to be killed.

Sex has been man’s downfall throughout time and will likely be the downfall of our sons and grandsons and great-grandsons. No doubt, we are often our own worst enemies, eagerly engaging in sex acts and calling ourselves “lucky.”

Sexual temptations are bad enough for ordinary men, with ordinary looks, ordinary talents, and ordinary wealth. But it’s far worse for celebrities. Women are drawn to money, power, and fame. And men spend lifetimes trying to acquire those measures of success to secure a woman’s love.

NFL coaches, players, and chaplains agree that of all the temptations that can derail a promising athlete, sex is the hands-down winner. Gambling, alcohol, steroids, recreational drugs, bad friends— they all trail sex by a mile.

New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck says he watches teammates hounded by women who are so beautiful and shapely, ordinary men can’t get a “hello,” let alone a date. He knows the pitfalls and offers this cold, hard truth to rookies and other new arrivals to the Giants’ locker room.

“I tell them, ‘It’s probably not because you’re handsome,’” Tuck says. “They want to get pregnant.”

The average NFL salary in 2011 was $2.25 million, with rookies guaranteed a minimum of $375,000, according to the NFL union. No more than 3 percent of that can go to the agent, another 40 percent goes to taxes, and the part that’s left over is what makes that 320-pound defensive tackle, with the protruding belly and persistent snoring, one of the sexiest men alive.

No man is immune. The most ardent Christian can fall. God is clear where He stands on sleeping around. Sexual immorality is addressed in numerous Bible scriptures.

First Corinthians 6:18 urges, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”

In 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5, Paul wrote, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.

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