With news of Lance Armstrong's admission of guilt to Oprah, many fans are feeling let down
and disappointed. Think of all the millions of people who had faith in Armstrong. How many people believed in him as some sort of hero?
On the heels of Armstrong's lie, we find the apparent lie of a Notre Dame football player. Manti Te'o didn't need a made-up girlfriend and NDU didn't need to keep the lie going for weeks!
There have been many other famous frauds...well-known stars who have faded due to some
type of public fall such as drugs, alcohol, adultery, lying, cheating, gambling, etc. Those stars have come from Major League Baseball or some other world of sports,
Some of the names we came up with on the show today were:
Tiger Woods, Pete Rose, Jim Baker, Richard Nixon, Mike Tyson, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, & Sammy Sosa.
I well remember how let-down I felt in 1989 when Pete Rose was banned from Major League Baseball for betting on games. He was one of my childhood favorites!
Who are some of the fallen stars or famous frauds you'd add?
The bottom line is this: man will fail you every time! So don't put confidence in a
baseball star, a rock star, a movie star, a talk show host, or even a preacher
for that matter (how many of them have we seen fall?). There's nothing wrong
with having a mentor (the Apostle Paul said to follow him as long as he
followed Christ). There's nothing wrong with being a fan of someone. But we
must watch idolizing human beings! Because they are just that - human!
And let me say this as well...If you're someone that people (particularly young people) look
up to, you need to guard against being made out a hero! Preachers, that goes
double for you! Don't allow your congregation to applaud you, worship you, or
idolize you! All the glory belongs to God, NOT you. Never allow yourself to
accept adoration of followers.
And speaking of famous frauds...Are YOU a fraud? Are you real? This is something each of us
should do regularly - examine ourselves! Though we may not be famous, rich, or powerful, we still need to make sure we aren't being fake. Cause if we don't examine ourselves we could fool many...even ourselves!
But we can't fool God! "...and be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23)
