Secrets

Romans 2:16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares (NIV) The Mueller's were a family that we grew up with in the 70's. Peter, the father, was one of the funniest men you have ever bumped into. I can still vividly remember his husky laugh and the way he would make his wife, Lucy, smile. Their three kids were always fun to play with and my first crush was on Mindy, their youngest at the ripe old age of six. My dad and Phillip knew each other from work and they instantly had enjoyed each other's company launching a friendship that lasted for over two decades. The Mueller's seemed like the average white collar family who was doing well and had all the things the American dream had to offer. Until one of Peter's secrets was exposed. Through a course of events, Lucy uncovered the fact that Peter had a second family. In fact, he had been living a double life for decades and hiding that dirty little secret from everyone. This shocking secret hurt many not the least of which was his family whom God had entrusted him to lead. Secrets. Since the first sin was committed in the Garden, the desire to sin and then run and hide from God when he comes looking for us is strong. In the depths of our souls, it is usually our first reaction when an authority figure is present to enforce their laws upon us. It is why we slam on the brakes and look innocent when we see the cop in the median with the radar detector. It is why my kids run and jump back in their beds late at night when I walk up the stairs to make sure that they are asleep when and where they are supposed to be. It is why we are all so good at self-denial and rationalization when we get caught. It is part of the nasty web of deceit of sin. We are tempted, we fall, and then we are tempted to hide the sin so we aren't exposed. This cycle is deadly and our natural course of action. The ramifications are huge. Not only are we separated form God by our sin, but our refusal to admit guilt and confess our wickedness keeps us from experiencing divine atonement and buries us in guilt. If the adversary can keep us hiding from God in secret sin he has us in the palms of his hands. The reality is clear in Paul's word to the Roman church: there are no secrets that are kept from God and our attempts to bury sin away in a distant field will be thwarted and openly exposed for proper judgment. Now our secrets may not be as glaring as Mr. Mueller's, but we are all tempted to have them and then try and hide them from God so we can appear righteous. What thoughts do you have that you know aren't Godly? What desires do you have that you know are wrong? What are the secret temptations tugging at your soul that are strong and have power? Confess them before they destroy you. The devil will use every trick in the book to get you to focus on your own self-image and the damage it will do if you confess your weaknesses. Christ offers us an opportunity to focus on His image and admit what we all really know anyhow: we are all messed up sinners in our flesh. When we do this at the feet of Jesus in an appeal to His righteous rule over our life, he spiritually biopsies not only the effects of sin, but he will replace the temptation with the sweet satisfaction of His own Glory. What are you fruitlessly trying to hide from God today? We must see those efforts as fruitless if we ever want to see the fruitfulness of Christ in our lives. Thanks be to God who sent Jesus to unveil and cover the sins of those who love and enjoy Him as Lord, Savior and Treasure!