DO THE RIGHT THING

Job 8:20 “But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked.”

I am a big baseball fan. I have been troubled over the past ten years with all the talk of performance enhancing drugs. Some of the biggest names of the past twenty years are now being exposed as “cheaters”. They won games, broke records, and made millions of dollars. And now, it is revealed that much of their accomplishments were aided by banned (if not illegal) substances. This week, one of the greatest home run hitters of the current era admitted his personal use of performance enhancing drugs. It is so disturbing to me that he broke a 37 year old record while using the drugs.

But, at the time, it must have seemed acceptable conduct to him and many other superstars. The potential costs, both physical and emotional, must have seemed as nothing in comparison to the immediate gains. Think about at…million dollar contracts, superstardom, and a place in the record books is a pretty sweet payout. The appeal of immediate reward blinded these individuals to the future costs.

My heart really goes out to those players that never used these drugs. The one’s who, perhaps, hit fewer homeruns, stole fewer bases, and recorded fewer strikeouts, but played clean. I’m sure that they must have been frustrated by the obvious distortion of statistics. I can imagine that it was aggravating to watch the “cheaters” get all the hype, get voted to the all-star game, and get the big pay days. I wonder how often they were tempted to take the same short cuts. For them, though, their integrity and the integrity of the game they played was invaluable.

As Christians, we also are faced with choices. The choice is to live our lives and base our decisions upon a biblical blueprint or to take short cuts so to attain some instant gratification. Perhaps, you are struggling financially. The bible gives clear instructions for the Christian concerning their money. Thus, the choice…Do the right thing or the easy thing? Perhaps, you are facing a choice in a relationship. The bible offers plain guidance on choosing and conducting our relationships. Thus, the choice….Do the right thing or the easy thing? Life is full of these choices for you and me.

This is where it gets real tough. You make the right choice and you still struggle. Right choices and acts of integrity are not easy all the time. It is, however, a moment that calls upon our faith. Do the right thing and God takes notice. Our scripture says, “He does not reject people of integrity”. That means he accepts us. He brings us in to reside with him. If you are striving to make the right choice, take heart today. God sees you. Your moment is coming. Don’t abandon what you know to be right. He will bless you.

I watched the other day as this star player who has used these drugs sat on television and wept about his mistakes. It seems that everything he gained in those moments means little to him now. I also watched as one of the hardest working players of his generation, a guy who played injured, never cheated and thus never hit seventy homeruns was still elected into baseballs hall of fame. I wonder today, who feels honored and blessed.