Johnny Manziel, aka “Mr. Football” quickly reached the end of his pro-career at Cleveland. After being drafted by them in 2014 in the first round he was dumped after just two seasons. No, not due to an injury or diminished talent due to age. Nor, like another famous Cleveland star, was he leaving to “take his talents” somewhere else for more money. No, this was the end because his occasional flashes of brilliance on the field were overshadowed by his steady stupidity off the field. The rebellious spirit that occasionally slipped out while at Texas A&M was fully unleashed, and despite a few subsequent appearances in minor leagues, his career was over at the end of 2015.

But, which is worse: wasting his talent or wasting his humanity? Far too many were more upset because of his departure from professional football than his continued collapse into abusive drunken behavior. After all, about the only way the NFL will dump anyone is if they go to jail for murder or there’s video of them beating up a woman. If he’s in jail he can’t play, and if he beats up women just make sure there’s no video. Yeah, I’m that cynical about the NFL and our culture.

The Bible doesn’t record much about the reign of Jehu and Jehoahaz in Israel. While fairly lengthy (combined they matched the 40 years of Joash in Judah), and having started with a flash of brilliance in eliminating the evil house of Ahab, and the worship of Baal, they just couldn’t overcome their own rebellious spirits. Both father and son oversaw a diminished kingdom because they refused to get rid of the nation’s home grown idols. They refused to “depart from the sins of Jeroboam (Israel’s first king), which he made Israel sin” (2 Kings 10:31-33, 13:1-3). Like “Mr. Football” they lacked the discipline to root out the sin in their lives and that failure became their defining legacy.

But let’s get real for a moment. Are we who consider ourselves disciples of Christ actually disciples of Christ, Christians that is? Are we men and women dedicated to serving God and willing to cut out the sins in our lives that separate us from Him? What hidden idols have we inherited from our parents or the culture around us that we will not remove? Are we living diminished lives because of a refusal to repent and surrender to God? Even if we seem outwardly successful, if we’re not obedient children of God, then were just wasted souls, diminished and damned for all eternity. But there’s still time for Mr. Football to restore his humanity, and I hope he does. And, there’s still time for you and me to remove the idols and stand before God in all His glory. How about it, can I help you come to Jesus before it’s too late.