No Secret Remains Hidden - Hebrews 4:13

   
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. - Hebrews 4:13

    It isn’t unusual that Hebrews 4:13 should make us a bit nervous, after all, how many of us actually like the idea of someone watching our every thought, word, and deed? Especially if we are going to have to account for ourselves. How often have we been in a social situation and noticed that someone, possibly a complete stranger, is staring at us? Talk about being made self-conscious. But like it or not, that is exactly how God sees us - through and through. We can run but we cannot hide. “Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’  So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’” - Genesis 3:9-10.
    God is omniscient; He knows all there is to know and nothing is unknown to Him. Even those deepest and darkest secrets we believe we have kept so securely that no one knows - God knows! So yes, when we consider God’s omniscience it becomes uncomfortable for us. For there are some things in our lives that even the most callous of us are ashamed of. We may put on a good show of self-confidence but were the truth brought to light we would cower in shame, fearing the scrutiny of our family, friends, and even that of strangers. “For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. “ - Ephesians 5:12.
    In fact, the only reason most of us aren’t more repentant of the things that shame us is because God doesn’t immediately shed light upon our scandalous behavior or immediately hand us the punishment we deserve. Think about it: if God exposed and/or punished us every time we succumbed to temptation, regardless of the variety, we would almost never willfully sin. None of us would want our dirty laundry hung out for everyone to see. But God doesn’t always immediately give us what we truly deserve. It’s not that He has given us a pass; He is just exercising His Godly patience with us sinners. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9. He is actually granting us time to come to Him in repentance. If we still refuse to honor Him, Christ has given us His solemn warning - “For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” - Luke 8:17.
    So while we understandably fear exposure, discovery, and revelation of our most hidden sins, we must come to the sober realization that the one entity we should truly fear already knows where all the skeletons are buried. To continue to insist upon our “innocence” just exacerbates our sins and clears the way for God’s holy wrath and our undoing. There is a deep sense of despair when we think about it like that but there is hope; hope for the contrite. Let us bring our transgressions to our most holy God and pray for forgiveness in humble repentance. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9.
    And how thoroughly will we be forgiven? “The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” - Psalm 103:9-12.
    All this forgiveness is assured those who love the Lord. All we need to do is confess our sins to Him and humbly ask His forgiveness and He is ready, willing, and able to shelter us from our past iniquities and remove the stigma of our shame. This was Christ’s purpose in sacrificing Himself upon the cross: the washing away of our sins by His holy blood. And forgiveness is only complete in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. “let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:10-12.
    Let us put our faith in the One who knows all our secrets, both the good and the evil, and let Him take away our sins.

Lost & Found: The Times That Try Men’s Souls - Psalm 42:11

Lost & Found: The Times That Try Men’s Souls - Psalm 42:11:     Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God ; for I shall yet praise Him , the help of my cou...

The Times That Try Men’s Souls - Psalm 42:11

   
Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God. - Psalm 42:11


    To quote the great American patriot and founder, Thomas Paine, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” We cannot go a day without worrying about some aspect of our daily lives in this blessed country that we are doubly-blessed to call, “home.” Whether it is the birth rate, the crime rate, the tax rate, or the death rate, we worry! Our days are full of anxiety. Believers and unbelievers. Christians, Muslims, Jews, and people of every other faith are concerned where this world is heading. But why? God is sovereign; He is in control. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,’” - Isaiah 46:10.
    No matter how tomorrow turns out, God is in control! Everything that happens does so because God had planned it from the beginning. Nothing is left to chance. There is no such thing! “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” - Proverbs 16:33.
    It may be our best day; it may be our worst day, but the day we spend, we spend at the bidding of our Lord. It may bring sickness or health. It may bring wealth or poverty. And we know all too well, it may bring life or it may bring death. But we also know that for those who hope and praise God, life has promise, life has purpose. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.
    How then can we honestly feel ‘cast down’ or ‘disquieted, ever?” Of course, things could have turned out better. We could have been born shorter or taller, richer or poorer, stronger or weaker. We could have gotten that promotion or that raise. We could have placed in a high honors school or landed that sweet job. But know this: we are where God wants us to be because He is responsible for putting us here! Sure, we sat for the test or we did that little extra, worked a little harder, or even prayed a little harder. But what we have and where we find ourselves is where God wants us to be! We should hope in Him and praise Him for all we have been blessed with. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” - James 1:17.
    In our title verse, the Psalmist is rebuking himself for its feelings of disquietude. He insists he will continue to hope in God and praise Him despite his own soul being cast down. To do that in the face of challenge or tribulation requires faith with a capital F. But one who has hope in God and continuously praises Him need not feel cast sown or disquieted.
    There will always be naysayers and complainers because they don’t feel they got a fair shake. Brothers and sisters, believe me; when it comes to God treatment of our lives, we truly don’t want “fair.” If God gave us what is fair we would all be weeping and gnashing our teeth. What we want from God, what we pray for is His mercy! “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,  whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” - Titus 3:4-7.
    So regardless of the task before us, the tribulations we face, or the times we live in let always and everywhere hope in God and praise Him.

Lost & Found: The Truth Reformed - John 17:17

Lost & Found: The Truth Reformed - John 17:17:  Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. - John 17:17     It has been said of Christians that we not only need to know what we b...

The Truth Reformed - John 17:17

 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. - John 17:17

    It has been said of Christians that we not only need to know what we believe but “why” we believe it. For the unbeliever, the trouble is not that we believe in the God of the Bible; they’ve both seen and heard our contentions. The biggest objection I am ever faced with is not about “what I believe,” but “why I believe it.” My stock answer has always been and always will be  - “because it is the truth!” And therein lies the problem. Most unbelievers don’t believe in absolute truth. As relativists, they want to stick to the erroneous idea that “what is true for you isn’t necessarily true for me.” “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” - Judges 21:25.
    The problem for unbelievers is that God’s truth would be fine for them if it allowed them the latitude they like to live their own way, unfettered by God’s rules. That’s why so many people either ignore the Bible altogether or carefully cherry-pick those parts they agree with and shed those parts they find objectionable. They are willing to go to any extent rather than admit that God’s holy words ring truth! “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting . . . .” - Romans 1:28.
    Obviously, for these unbelievers, nothing we can say will convince them of those things which they refuse to believe. They have hardened their hearts and minds to God’s enduring truth. They remain in this state of sin because, “having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” - Ephesians 4:18. These are people who, in this state of sinfulness, are without hope. Only the Holy Spirit is able to change their hearts and unless the Spirit does so they will die in their sin.
    Another consideration unbelievers most often fail to perceive is the fact that the truth is insensitive; it doesn’t care whether they like it or not. It is still the truth. For some convoluted reason, many people believe that for the truth to be genuine, it must also be palatable or at the very least, something they can agree with. They all fail to understand that regardless of their refusal to hear the truth, it remains clear and fearsome. “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” - Psalm 86:11.
    As we celebrate Reformation Day, let us acknowledge that God’s truth is what Martin Luther declared to the world on October 31, 1517. Without encumbrances, we can believe in the truth of God’s holy word as revealed to us in the Bible. Sola scriptura, Sola fide, Sola gratia, Solo Christo, and Soli Deo Gloria. By scripture alone, through faith alone, by grace alone, through Christ alone, for the glory of God alone, the truth is Reformed!

Lost & Found: The Face In The Mirror - Luke 5:8

Lost & Found: The Face In The Mirror - Luke 5:8: When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man , O Lord!” - Luke 5:8     A genuine ...

The Face In The Mirror - Luke 5:8

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” - Luke 5:8

    A genuine introspection in relation to our holy God should bring us to our knees in humble, contrite, and repentant sorrow. If it does not then we are not taking a good look at ourselves or we simply have a low view of God. However, it’s not our eyes that are the problem but our hearts. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” - Matthew 15:19.
    There are many people who simply don’t believe this. They tell themselves that they have never contemplated truly evil thoughts, a thought or word of anger from time to time, but evil, true evil? Mark the words of James the Apostle - “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” - James 2:10.
    One need only consider him or her self, relative to a holy God to see ourselves in the harsh light our thoughts, words, and deeds. When the yardstick is the holiness of God, our shame must be as mortifying and as painful as Peter’s. It is only through heartfelt contrition and repentance that we can, like the tax collector say, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” - Matthew 18:13.
    The concept of “holy” as defined by Donald K. McKim is “being spiritually whole, well, pure, or perfect.” Which of us can look in the mirror and claim those attributes for ourselves? There is only one existing entity in the universe that meets those criteria and that entity is the God of the Bible. “God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.” - Psalm 47:8. Unless we hold a high view of the holiness of God we cannot begin to comprehend the sinfulness of our lives.
    The title verse is preceded by the account of Jesus telling Peter and the others to go back out in their boats after spending all night fishing and coming up empty. After a moment’s hesitation, Peter relented upon Christ’s command. Soon their nets were so full of fish that they were actually tearing. It was upon seeing this that Peter uttered the title verse. Peter recognized the holiness of the Lord and in so doing saw his own shortcomings as a mere mortal man. What will it take for us to achieve that same understanding? The birth of a child? The sought-after promotion at work? A physical healing? That hard fought for graduate’s degree? The safe return of a service member from deployment or a police officer’s safe  return from his or her shift? A net full of fish?
    God doesn’t skimp on His providence for us. Every good thing we have we received from the benevolence of God Almighty. We have nothing that our great God hasn’t given us. Whether it be talent, aptitude, wisdom, physical prowess or any other gift. It is from God! “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” - James 1:17.
    When we are blessed enough to see this, we are forced to ask that perennial question - “Why me, Lord?” And upon that consideration we should humbly thank God for the grace He has bestowed upon us, despite our sinful natures. Let us all come to God with reverent and contrite hearts. “All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” - Isaiah 66:2-3.
    These are the words of a holy God and unless we see Him as holy we cannot see Him at all. Unrepentant, all we see is the muddied reflection of ourselves staring back at us. Unrepentant, we are alone, staring at the innate sinfulness of the face in the mirror.