Don’t Waste Your Sports – Lying Athletes

Lying permeates the sports world. It would seem that almost every sport has been scandalized by the abuse and disobedience of the Ninth Commandment.

• College football – Penn St. coaching staff lying about whether they knew sexual abuse was taking place in their facilities by former Coach Sandusky. And then Coach Sandusky lying that he did anything wrong.

• Bicycling – Lance Armstrong lying about taking banned substances that helped him capture 7 Tour de France titles

• Baseball – Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens and so many others lying about whether they took steroids when at the peak of their careers.

• Golf – Tiger Woods lying to his ex-wife about the plethora of affairs he was having during their marriage.

And when athletes are caught in their lies, they use words or phrases like “misremember” or “exaggerated the facts” or “misspoke.” They attempt to redefine what they have done.

Being truthful as an athlete seems rarer than it does common … unfortunately. Too many athletes are wasting their sports by wasting their character.

Here’s the hard truth: a lie may gain you temporary pleasure or fame, but it’s lasting effects will impact you for eternity by damning your soul.

That sound harsh? Or does that sound biblical? Well, those who live in their lies, those who give themselves to untruth and don’t practice honesty are guaranteed a home in eternal fire (Rev 21:27).

In other words, liars do go to hell. Forgiven ones don’t; those who repent from their lies will go to heaven. But those who life is a lie or cannot be truthful have no other option except eternal separation from God.

Protect the truth at all costs. Don’t be a liar. “These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not defile evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate” (Zech 8:16-17).