Andy Pettitte

Andy Pettitte wrote the following in his 2005 oeuvre Strike Zone: Targeting a Life of Integrity and Purity by Andy Pettitte and Bob Reccord with Mark Tabb:

As a Christian I also have one goal. I want to fulfill God's purpose for my life. I constantly ask myself "What does God want me to do?" and "Where does He want me to go?" Those may sound like odd questions to ask in a book about purity. After all, doesn't purity just mean sexual purity? Hardly. As I said in the last chapter, living a pure life means trying to please God in everything I do. And the best way to please God is living in a way He can work through me and use me in other people's lives.

Then Andy Pettitte cheated and used HGH to speed through an injury in the 2002 season. His testimony for Christ would have been better now if he never said anything at all, rather than look like the hypocrite he has become.

WE are not perfect and Jesus has provided the forgiveness for what we have done, what we are doing and what we will do. However taking a public stand means that you are holding yourself to a higher standard and scrutiny. If your walk is weak in anyway withhold yourself from being a teacher and rather be just a living example for Christ. Andy set himself up as a teacher, instructing others about Christianity and thus placed himself within that arc of responsibility.

James 3:1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

When you place yourself as an instructor of heavenly things and then fail your failure is not simply a consequence to your walk but to all that ever looked to you. Be true to yourself and acknowledge you may not be ready to teach others about Christ just because you may have an audience that would want you to. Then when you are ready hold firm and do not weaver in your commitment to live out the principles that you expound or others will suffer as a result of your personal foolishness.