"Winning" ???

 I have to tell you that I've heard the word "winning" more times in the last 3 days that I have in the last 3 years combined. This is in reference to the exploits of actor Charlie Sheen who has captivated the attention of the Media world. Sheen's antics on ABC's 20/20 has catapulted him into one of the most twitter followed people on the Planet, as well as headlining the discussion of every comedian actively doing comedy. Whether its Face book, Twitter, Saturday night Live, Cable TV, or just Charlie's web cam, this week he is the talk of America.  So I wanted to take a few minutes to examine Charlie's philosophy on winning, I think that we can learn something.

Charlie Sheen's lifestyle speaks for itself, so my intentions are not to personally bash him in any way. As a matter of fact, I think that CS is the epitome of what the American media says every man should aspire to. I mean Sheen has everything that the world tells us is important, and by the world's standards it's impressive. Check this out:

1) Fame- Charlie has got it! In addition to a string of hit movies, his " Two and a half men"  TV series has been rated among the top 20 programs every season since it aired. Yesterday over 1 Million people signed up to follow Sheen on Twitter.
2) Money- Sheen's estimated paycheck per episode is 1.3 million dollars. Per episode. His web cast 2 days ago advertised his favorite brand of Chocolate milk and a hot dog. The Milk company reported record sales and the hot dog was promptly named the "Charlie dog".
3) Women- Charlies exploits with women are extensive, and he has 2 girls nicknamed the "goddesses" that live with him. One is the Nanny and the other a "porn" star.
 4) Power- When asked if he was afraid to die. Charlie replied:"Dying is for Fools". " I have Tiger blood in me". The reporter for 20/20 went on to ask how he cleaned his life up. His reply: " I blinked my eyes, and I healed my mind" "The partying run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards, all of them look like droopy eyed armless Children".

He has quite a life, a life that he describes as "Winning"! Most Americans would agree, that minus the antics, Charlie would seem to be doing pretty well. However is having Fame, Money, Women and Power really winning in life? The Bible has a different take.

In the Book of Daniel, the king in Babylon named Belshazzar comes to power. This king has everything that Charlie Sheen has and more. He has fame. When he walks the street everyone knows his name. He doesn't have to introduce himself to anyone, they bow and call him King. He has money. He evens drinks from Gold and Silver goblets. He wants for nothing. He has women. Wives and concubines are at his disposal. If he wants a girl, he doesn't have to court or woo her. He just says bring her to me. He also has power. He claps his hands and servants meet his every desire.

One day the King decides to throw a party, for a thousand Lords and his nobles. As the party is at full tilt he commands that everyone should drink from a gold or silver goblet. As people are drinking a sobering moment occurs. What looks like a hand appears and writes on the wall in a language that no one can understand. Daniel is brought in to interpret the words, and here is his translation.

*God has numbered the days of your rein, and He has brought it to an end.
* You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting
* Your kingdom is divided among the Medes and the Persians

That very night Belshazzar, King of the Babylonians was killed. All that he worked for was given to his enemy Darius the Mede.

There is a lesson for ALL of us here. Not just for Charlie. Life is not about Fame, Money, Women, and Power.  No matter how much effort we put into those things, they will never satisfy our lives. The reality is that we can't heal ourselves, and therefore we can't win on our own. Jesus said: "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."-NLT

Real "Winning" only comes by giving our lives to Jesus.