"You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred." 2 Timothy 1-2 NLT
On November 1st, Sommer Sports, an outdoor athletic event producer, posted the following: "This is a first, not the bandit part as we have them at almost every race, but a bandit posting on social media that they won the race, and also boasting they didn't pay to enter the race, is a first. What type of person brags that they stole something on social media?! For clarification purposes, if you didn't register for the race, you are not the winner of the race. Being a bandit in a race is no different than shoplifting, it is still classified as theft." And sure enough, the screen shot Sommer Sports shared of the offender confirmed the story. "2 weeks off won the race 18:30 without signing up. 5k halloween" the brazen runner posted on social media along with a photo of himself racing to the finish line. And if that behavior wasn't arrogant enough, the male runner (whose name Sommer Sports graciously blacked out) posted photos of his shirtless self that were taken during the race, prompting Sommer Sports to comment, "He even had the audacity to share photos that our paid photographers captured of him during the race!" Wow! Was that guy boastful or what?
And you know, while that story would have shocked me ten years ago, it doesn't in the current day and age in which we live. In fact, Paul warned us "that in the last days" there would “be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money." Paul went on to say that people would be "boastful and proud, scoffing at God" among other things. And there certainly is an increase of people doing that. Wouldn't you agree? What was once considered a relatively humble sport is now littered with men and women who show excessive pride and self-satisfaction in their achievements, possessions, or abilities with little or no concern of how their behavior might affect someone else.
So don't be surprised when you see this type of behavior becoming increasingly more popular my friend and don't be afraid to expose it when you do. Because, although you and I can't keep it from occurring, we can do our part to maintain our personal integrity and that of the sport that we love so much.
Heavenly Father, thank You for warning us of the many things that we can expect to see in the last days. Lord, please give us the discernment to identify those who would choose to scoff at You rather than follow your ways so that we could distance ourselves from them as the Word clearly tells us to do. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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