Time to Live Clean?

[Darris McNeely] In 1961 Roger Maris hit 61 home runs breaking Babe Ruth's longstanding single season home run record. But because Roger Maris did it in more games than Babe Ruth did it, they put an asterisk by his name. Forever in the record books, or at least for a number of years, beside the name Roger Maris was an asterisk because he had more games to break that record. Let's fast forward. Times have changed. We've got more names. Last week we did a BT Daily about players not being elected into the Hall of Fame because they were suspected and accused of using steroids in their careers of baseball. So names like Clemons, Bonds are now suspect. What goes beside their name? And now this week we have another name in sports, Lance Armstrong. For several years, suspicion of using steroids and doping as he won his seven Tour de France bicycling championships in France, and now an admission coming out that after several years of denial that he did dope.

[Steve Myers] And so that asterisk has taken a whole new meaning. Roger just had extra games and there was no accusations of cheating and doping. But these fellows, and especially Lance lately, doping, it's come out. Now he's admitted it. He's admitted to Oprah.  He's admitted it in other cases now.

[Darris McNeely] After several years of denial.

[Steve Myers] Yeah, after denying, denying, denying. And so it does bring a couple of lessons to mind that really we all need to think about. And not just in Lance Armstrong's case, but in every case, all of our cases because if we're cheaters, if we're not doing what's right, are we going to be responsible for that at some point? And will that come to light?

[Darris McNeely] It's amazing with all of the technology that is available to us today, scientifically, social media. Nothing goes unnoticed. Every transgression, every sin, every violation is going to it seems eventually be found out, whether in the media or scientifically through testing such as this. It's almost as if what God did say in His word many, many years ago is now being even more brought to pass, coming out because of technology that's available in our modern world.

[Steve Myers] And that passage is over there in Numbers 32:23. It says, "Be sure your sin will find you out." And so all things are plain before God. God knows the very heart. And so whatever those things are, they will come to light. And so that's a challenge for all of us that we've got to be right with God and never deny these kinds of things whether it be doping - don't even get into that to begin with, that's unacceptable. And our sin, we've got to go and be forgiven before God and have that wiped out and not have that asterisk before our name.

[Darris McNeely] Yeah, what do we put beside these other names? An asterisk or do we put other names, other charges that will exactly say what these are? I'll leave that to others to do. I guess the question is what will be beside our name in the great Book of Life? Perhaps live clean is the motto for all of us to learn from all of these recent examples. Doing that will ensure that what's beside our name is something that's good.

[Steve Myers] That's BT Daily. We'll see you next time.