Secrets Revealed

Luke 12:2-3; Your secrets cannot be hidden from God.

Live In The Light Of Christ

And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

                                                                                     (1 John 1:4-10 KJV)

The light reveals all things. Yet, so many prefer that those secrets; those sins, that are committed against God and one another stay hidden. After all, if we allow those sins to come into the light it just might require us to make some changes to our lives. So in hiding our sins we choose to live in darkness and stay far from the light where we would find real joy in the presence of God.

God is light. Hiding out in the darkness will keep us from fellowship with God as we be spending more time attempting to hide our secrets rather than living in the love of God and focusing ourselves on loving Him and the people around us.  

The light shines brightly. Open your eyes and walk in the light of Christ that your sins might be forgiven and that you might be reconciled to God and to another. Live in the light that your joy might be full!

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Diverse Temptations and Joy

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. (James 1:2-3 KJV)

I am not all that joyful when I am confronted with temptations. I don't really have an issue saying no to temptations. I've actually gotten pretty good at it. That does not always make everyone around me happy.

Usually temptations come to me through other people; people who know where I stand. Sometimes, I can laugh it off. Other times, it is more difficult and my patience ends up getting tried and refined as I have to repeat the word "no." 

I do not feel the need for me to have to defend why I will or will not do something. My lifestyle has been worked in me for many years by the grace of God through Jesus. There were a lot of hard lessons to learn. Admittedly, I still have a long ways to go and will never get there while there is still breath in me. However; since God has taught me, by refining fires, I do know enough to say no to many diverse temptations.

I will say no to what I know is wrong. I will stand up for what is right even if others take offense to it. Years ago, in order to stay in relationship with a few people, I had to ignore the damage that they were doing to others. I stopped doing that. I lost family. I lost friends. But, in the end, a child was safe. It may seem like it would have been easier to keep my lips sealed. I tried that way and it was not. It is much easier to stand up for what is right and not yield to the temptation to cover up secrets for the sake of relationships. 

It did not bring any joy to stand up to the temptation to keep my mouth closed and cover up things that were terribly wrong. It was actually a very horrible time. However, it did give me a sense of joy and peace to know that a child would have a much brighter future for it.

One of the greatest temptations is to do nothing when something is going terribly wrong. It can be tough and resisting temptation will produce patience and in the end much joy.

May God grant us the courage and strength to say no to the temptations to do what we ought not do and to not do what we ought to do.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Secret Places

Secret Hiding Place

Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. (Jer 23:24 NIV)

When my granddaughters were very young, the three of us had a secret place near Gay, MI on the shore of Lake Superior. It was inside an abandoned concrete building that had fallen down. We called it our secret place; but, it really wasn't a secret place at all. It was out in the open for anyone who passed by to see. It was secret only in that not a lot of people ever passed by. But, my granddaughters were convinced that no one else knew where our hide-out was and they were happy with that.

We can pretend that where we are and what to do is unknown to others. Usually, there will be at least a few people who will stumble on our secrets. But, always God knows the deepest secrets of our hearts. We cannot hide anything from Him. He knows exactly where we are and what we are doing every second of every day because He is with us. He fills the heaven and the earth. He is everywhere. He fills all in all.

You cannot run from God. You cannot hide. He is with you and He is for you. May this knowledge be a delight and not a burden to you so that you might live a life glorifying Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Secrets

There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. (Luke 12:2-3 NIV)

I am pretty sure that everyone has secrets. Some may seem very trivial. Some not so trivial. Some are good. Some are bad. Some are just pure gossip that really are not secrets at all. They're not secrets because they are spread from household to household, behind closed doors, presumably in the dark, so no one else will know. But, everyone knows what lies that they have told while attempting to live and speak in secret; in the darkness.

Here's the kicker: the secret does not remain secret. It will eventually be revealed by the light. Sooner or later the door will open and the light will shine on the dark places. The truth will be known. We can try to keep as many secrets as we want; but, remember that God knows all the secrets that we try to hide from the world. .

Speak with integrity. Speak with truth. Live in the light of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J