Life is a race…

Life is a race, we are all running on our own track to get the incorruptible crown. On the race called life, we always have some setbacks and distractions. Few fall down when they set their focuses not on the crown but on the trap called distractions. Some of our predecessors or forerunners fell down, loosed balance and lost the incorruptible crown by focusing on the weeds sown by the devil on their hearts as a trap. Those weeds are “immortality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing” _{Gal 5:19}. People who are started heroically eventually ended with cowardly attitudes. Jealous and hatred are the two most dangerous and slow poisonous weeds which the devil throws into the hearts of the runners. Those forerunners who were having the weeds of jealous and hatred however lost their focus on the crown, instead setting trap for their co-runners who ran besides them.

          Have we ever wondered where was the origin of jealous and hatred? These two poisonous weeds were sprouted on the very second generation itself. These two weeds are incurable disease to one’s soul. Jealous and hatred divide happy families, shatter them and leave them with incurable emotional scars. These two poisonous weeds brought forth war into the countries which are thriving for peace. These two weeds tear down Kingdoms into two and leave them into unending conflicts. The people who meant to be work together with hand in hand are working with hand against hand, do you know why? These above weeds have destroyed the work ethics. There are few of our biblical forerunners who were became the victims of these two weeds.

1^st murder in human history

          Two brothers born from a same mother went to offer their offerings to God. When the elder, Cain, found that the offering his brother offered was found favor on God’s sight, on the very same moment the weeds of jealous and hatred began to sprout from his heart. As a result, Cain’s countenance became downcast. Then the weeds led him to murder his own brother which might be the 1^st murder in human history. Moreover, Cain harvested a curse from God and he might have spent rest of his life wallowing with regrets. Cain was intended to get God’s blessings for his offerings, instead he ended with unbearable curse from God for the weed on his heart.

          Jealous crept into Rachel’s heart when she saw her own sister blessed with children and she saw herself barren. The weed of jealous destroys the unity and happiness within a family. Rachel wasn’t happy for her own sister, Leah, who was cuddling her children on her arms. The result of Rachel’s jealous, her son, Benjamine was never got a single cuddle from her own mother, because she died during childbirth. On the race called life she was trapped by jealous and lost her life without beholding her son riding on the chariot and succeeded as a second in command in the whole land of Egypt. 

The weed of jealous and hatred distracted King Saul from his royal duties

          King Saul became cold feet when the people from his Kingdom praised David for the victory he brought to the kingdom. Saul could not bear the growing popularity and fame of David, a shepherd boy. Saul thought to himself “They have credited David with ten thousands…..but me with only thousands… and from the time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David” 1 sam18:8,9. When the weed of jealous sprouted from King Saul’s heart, God sent evil spirit “forcefully upon Saul” 1 Sam 18:10. King Saul gave his daughter’s hand in marriage to David by thinking to himself that “she may be a snare to him” _{1 Sam 18:20}. The weed of jealous and hatred distracted King Saul from his royal duties. He was fuming around David to murder him. The plots to murder David went on backfire at several times because God was with David. The weed of jealous and hatred led the King Saul to commit suicide, “Saul took his own sword and fell on it”_{1 Sam 31:4}. He wasted his quality times to take David’s life but eventually he couldn’t able to save his own life. The weed of jealous and hatred lead anyone downfall.

        Haman’s hatred towards Mordecai was personal but Haman plotted to destroy the whole community where Mordecai belongs. The weed of hatred on Haman’s heart led him to heed the wrong advice from “his wife and all his friends” _Es5:14. What Haman meant to happen on Mordecai happened to him. His plans bounced back, “so they hanged Haman on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai” _{Es 7:30}. The weed of hatred brings disaster to one’s own self.          

The weed of jealous and hatred are two most dangerous and self-made snare. These weeds are trap from the devil, who tries to take over us for his own kingdom. Be Aware! we are all marching towards God’s Kingdom. Don’t fall on the trap which set beneath and beside us. On this race called life, keep our eyes on God’s face so that we won’t be fall on the trap. “Let your face shine on your servant, save me in your unfailing love” _{Ps 31:16}, Keep this prayer of David as on our daily prayers and engrave this verse on our heart. Prayer is the only spade to delve out the weeds which lie on our hearts. May our Christ Jesus help us all finish our race successfully and cheerfully. Amen.