Jesus Christ or JoePa?

The statue has come down. The legacy has been tarnished. The name JoePa, which was received with praise, is now frowned upon. Joe Paterno, the former football coach at PennState, is deceased, but his name will live in infamy. Under his watch, several children were molested by one of his assistants, Jerry Sandusky. A new report reveals that JoePa was aware of the problem, but did little to stop it. After the details of the report surfaced, swift actions followed. The school tore down his statue and the NCAA vacated over 100 of his wins. There are several lessons to learn from this tragedy. For one, we cannot turn a blind eye towards sin. Someone said, “Evil prevails when good men do nothing.” How true. Secondly, it only takes one bad action to tarnish your entire life. Be careful. Lastly, it is a reminder that the best of men are men at best. We are not to worship people, but God alone. People loved, adored, and even worshiped Joe Paterno. Even now, some will defend him to the hilt. The choice is clear: Jesus Christ or JoePa. One turned his eyes away from sin, one died for our sins. One was perfect, one was not. One is worthy of our praise, one is not. You may not worship JoePa, but we all have our own “JoePa’s”, people or things we worship.  It is time to tear down the statues in your heart. Respect your parents, teachers, government officials, and your pastor. Don’t worship them. Worship God alone.

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