48 Million and still not happy!


If you were told that your current employer was going to pay you $48.97 million dollars over the next seven years, would you be happy? What kind of employee would you become? Most people would say they would be very happy. They would become the best employee in the company. Well, I guess things are a little different in the NFL.

Owens leaves camps after argument with ReidBy DAN GELSTON, AP Sports WriterAugust 10, 2005

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) -- All-Pro wide receiver Terrell Owens left Eagles training camp Wednesday after a heated exchange with coach Andy Reid.
Reid asked the injured Owens to leave after their discussion, according to Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge. She said Owens was asked to return next Wednesday and had gone to his home in New Jersey. ``I got sent home until Wednesday for whatever reason,'' Owens told Comcast SportsNet for a TV interview from his front lawn. ``It was just a difference of opinion. I was defending myself.'' Comcast SportsNet reported the disagreement occurred during a team meeting. Owens then got his belongings and cleared out of training camp at Lehigh University. ``T.O. was asked to leave by Andy Reid,'' Etheredge said. ``I don't think that it was heated, it was a difference of opinion. I don't know if there was an argument.'' Owens did not say what the argument was about. ``If the truth needs to be told, then that's what I'll do,'' Owens said. ``If he (Reid) wants me to be a man about it and have me really go on the air and really tell the people what happened, then I can. It was a difference of opinion.'' Eagles spokesman Derek Boyko had no comment. Drew Rosenhaus, Owens' agent, did not immediately return several messages left on his phones. Owens is unhappy the Eagles have refused to redo his contract as he enters the second season of a seven-year, $48.97 million deal. He hired Rosenhaus and threatened to skip camp completely. Instead, Owens reported, then injured his groin last Thursday. He was day to day and the injury wasn't considered serious, but he missed practice Wednesday for the fifth time in six days. Owens worked out with the team's assistant trainer for about 20 minutes on a separate playing field from his teammates, catching balls from a machine and doing some light running. He did not speak to reporters or acknowledge the fans who chanted his name. Owens also skipped a scheduled autograph session with the rest of the Eagles' receivers after practice. ``He was unable to attend because he was injured,'' Etheredge said. Owens said the fans have been great, but he didn't sign autographs at the tent because he was rehabbing his groin. He also said he was having fun at camp, even if it didn't look that way. Since arriving at camp Owens has been distant on the field with his teammates. After signing autographs and slapping hands with fans on a nearly daily basis at last year's camp, Owens has jogged on and off the practice field without much acknowledgment of their chants and screams of support. ``Just because I don't talk to everybody, that's up to me,'' Owens said. ``Everybody needs to understand the situation is all business, it's nothing personal. The situation is between me and management. They know what's going on. ``I think some people are kind of ticked off because I haven't really said much. They don't pay me to go in there and talk to everybody and be friendly to everybody. They paid me to play and they paid me to perform. That's what I've been going in there and doing.'' The Eagles had a special teams practice Wednesday afternoon and Owens was not required to attend. Last season, Owens had 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and a franchise-record 14 touchdowns before severely injuring his ankle late in the season. He missed the final two regular-season games and the first two playoff games before returning for the Super Bowl, in which he had nine receptions for 122 yards. While Owens has been an off-field distraction, the Eagles sorely need his production. Todd Pinkston is on injured reserve and out for the season with a torn Achilles' tendon, and the rest of the wide receivers –Greg Lewis, Billy Mc Mullen, and Reggie Brown -- are young and inexperienced.

Wow, what can I say? I read something like that and my initial thought was, "Man,I would never act like that if I got paid that much!" But after taking some time and thinking about the article, I came to some conclusions:


1. Money, no matter how much, never seems to make people happy. I know there will be many who read this who will argue that point, but time and time again we read of those who have so much yet never seem to be truly happy. In fact the Bible dedicates a book to this idea. The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes is the journal of a man who had everything but was still not happy! King Solomon had come to a conclusion about life. In fact, he begins the book with these words: "Vanity of vanities." He goes on to say,"All is Vanity!" The word vanity means meaningless and empty! Solomon decides he is going to figure out what life is all about, what will make him happy and content. Look at some of the things he tries: - Education: He decided to gain as much knowledge and wisdom as he could (Ecclesiastes 1:13, 16-18) His conclusion was that all he found was vexation of spirit, grief, and sorrow! - Pleasure: He sought out those things that would make him feel good, things to make him laugh.(Ecclesiastes 2:1-2) Again he concluded that all was vanity!- Material things: You can read about all the things he acquired in chapter 2:1-10, but, once again, his conclusion was that all was vanity! That sounds like so many people. I find myself looking for happiness in things, money, and entertainment. All these things are vanity and insufficient to bring true joy! Just take some time to think about it. We live in a time where we have so much available to us! We have movies on demand and hundreds of TV channels, yet people complain they are bored and seem to be discontent. I cannot list all the things that are available to people on a daily basis, but no matter how much they have, they want more or something else. Hmm... maybe we are not much different than Terrel Owens. Consider Luke 12:15.

2. We never see how good we have it. We don’t take the time and consider that we may not be happy with our job, but I can guarantee there are people who desperately want it. Consider the number of people that at times risk their lives to just get to the United States. Illegal aliens would probably take our job in a second. They probably think, "I would be so happy working there, and I would be a great employee!" Yet we look at what we don’t have and never take the time to be grateful for what we already posses. Some people complain about where they live and want to live somewhere else. Some complain about what they have and want something else. The bottom line is that we never seem to look at how much and how good we already have it!

3. True meaning and happiness can only be found in one place! It may be hard to believe, but true joy and true meaning in life cannot be found even in 48 million dollars! The book of Ecclesiastes ends by pointing us in the right direction. Verse 13 of chapter 12 tells us, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments." Wow! The answer is not found in us. It is not found in those around us. It is not found in what we posses. It is only found in God! In fact, many of the Christian Catechisms begin with the following question and answer:

Question 1: What is the chief end of man?Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.Ps. 86:9; Isa.42:8; 60:21; Rom. 11:36; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa: 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4

Wow, now that is a revolutionary concept. We are to look to God and what pleases him! We are not to live for our own desires and passions but for God. Some who read this blog need to understand that before we can begin to live for God and enter into a relationship with him, we have to understand a few things:

- We are guilty before God! I know you are saying, "Not me." But it is true. We are all sinners who have broken the Law of God and are guilty! The scriptures are clear on this point. Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned! If you think that you are ok before God, take some time to review the law of God. You can read it in Exodus 20. Any honest person will admit that they have broken at least some of them! But there will be those who insist that they're not that bad. Jesus summed up the entire law like this, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." We all know that we do not love God supremely. Therefore we are guilty and deserve punishment! Jesus went on to say that the law of God consists of loving our neighbor as ourselves. Again, we all know that we don’t do this either. So if we are going to enter into a right relationship with God, we must understand that we are guilty, and there is nothing we can do to remove our guilt!

- Jesus Christ is the Savior: We are guilty and need a savior, and the only savior that God has provided is Jesus Christ. He was born of the Virgin Mary, (Matthew 1:21-25) sinless, (Hebrews 4:14-16) more then just a man, and God in the flesh! (John 1:1, 14, John 20:24-28) He died for our sins (Romans 5:8)and was buried and rose again on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) - Trust in Christ alone: If we are guilty before God, but there is nothing we can do, and God has provided a savior who has done everything for us, then we must trust in that savior alone for our salvation! (John 3:16-18) We must acknowledge our guilt and turn from our sin and trust in Christ! (Mark 1:15)

If we have turned to Christ and truly believed, then we should realize all that we have in Christ! We have received the forgiveness of sins. We are now made the children of God We have an inheritance, and we are going to spend eternity in heaven! We have God with us today! As Christians, we should realize we have a relationship with God, and we should be joyful and content! We have more than 48 million could ever buy! Maybe we should start living like it!


Trevor Hamnmack
vbc.sermonaudio.com
www.worldvieww.blogspot.com