Stand upright

"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them." Proverbs 11:3

Last May, Robert Young began his attempt to break the Trans America Record-in which to succeed he had to run an of average 60 miles a day for 46 days. Just weeks into his adventure though, suspicions about Young's cheating began to arise. While Young denied the allegations and continued on his journey, the adventure eventually ended after 34 days and 2,000 miles when Robert was taken to the emergency room suffering from exhaustion, a fractured toe and cellulitis. Meanwhile his remaining sponsor, Skins, had turned to two independent experts to get to the truth. And the truth was that he lied. The 101-page report based on interviews and detailed inspection of the data left little doubt that Young had received, in their words, “unauthorised assistance – most likely in the form of riding in or on a vehicle for large parts of the attempt”.

So, just like that, his dishonesty was exposed and his reputation destroyed. You know, when it comes to honesty, the Bible tells us that "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them." You see an honest person will avoid the temptation of lying or cheating knowing that, even if their actions are never uncovered here, they are always held accountable to God.

Sadly the writer of the news story reported, "While cheating is cheating, the only person Young has destroyed is himself. There were no rivals on the road to cheat out of medals." So you see, "crookedness", whether discovered or hidden, indeed has the power to destroy a person. But the story doesn't have to end like that for him or for anyone... God can restore even that which was destroyed. Just ask Him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that clearly warns us of those things that will drive a wedge between us and ruin our witness to the world. Help us to be people of integrity who do the right thing even when no one is looking. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!!!
www.team413.org

Bradley Bridges - Set me free

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFcL0VdftME&list=PLWvahZRxLnLMSWeULnub0CCeQzvxGM8hB&index=13

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/oct/02/robert-young-marathon-sponsor-stands-tall