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Mickey Mantle, that great baseball slugger for the New York Yankees, was also an alcoholic. Despite a notable baseball career, 42 years of alcohol abuse ruined his life. In his own words he said, alcohol ruined my mind, destroyed my body, my career, and my family relationships. Mantle reminds us of an important biblical truth. When we fail to live by the moral truths set forth in God’s word, we can pay a huge price. God explained one of the outcomes in Judges Chapter 2, God had delivered the ancient people of Israel from Egyptian slavery. Then at Mt. Sinai, God made a covenant with them. He said if they refrained from worshiping other gods and followed His righteous laws, He would protect them from their enemies and provide for their material needs. God could expect this because of all He had done for them. Sadly, they did just the opposite. They worshiped idols rather than God; and they followed the evil practices of their neighbors. So God abandoned them. God tells them that He would now withhold His blessings because they failed to keep their part of the covenant obligations. God’s universal principle is that we reap what we sow. Still by accepting and yielding ourselves to God’s Son Jesus Christ, He will help us live a fulfilled life—one that satisfies us and pleases God.
