“I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; Because now, Ephraim, you have been unfaithful, Israel has defiled itself.”
How foolish of us to live deceivingly and think we can concealed our sin from God. God is completely aware of who we are.
Too often we put on different masks for different people... But God sees all. Including the arrogance of posing as a “good” Christian while judging those who are not as skilled in presenting the façade.
God knows your depravity. Your deepest, darkest secrets, the deeds, and thoughts you are most ashamed of – The things you bury and try to forget…These are the brutal reasons for the Cross … and none of us are beyond needing the enormous payment the cross provides.
We are called to point out and stand against sin – but we should do it transparently, not in an accusatory manor as though we do not battle sin ourselves. None of it is hidden from God, and none of it is OK with Him ... And yet, because of the Cross - We are clean.
There is freedom in that. We do not need to project false piety. We do not need to craft our spiritual “profile” to conceal the blemishes. What we DO need to do - is own it - and stop pretending it is okay.
Something that has disappeared from our doctrine is a hatred for sin that generates confession and repentance…. We prefer instead to blame our sin on others, call it sickness, or normalize it.
But God says we need to confess sin with tears on our face …. Not so God will know about it - but so He will know that we know about it…. and that we know that it is unacceptable.
Confession that leads to repentance produces change…and that is what God intends for you. Christianity cannot be a part of your life – it must end your life - and allow you to be reborn as a new, different person.
If we intend to be called Christians, we must abhor sin and reflect Christ in our attitudes and actions. If we are not committed to this, we either need to change our ways - or change our name.
“More than once Jesus deliberately addressed certain issues that quickly diminished the number of onlookers. It was commitment that thinned the ranks.” - Chuck Swindoll
How foolish of us to live deceivingly and think we can concealed our sin from God. God is completely aware of who we are.
Too often we put on different masks for different people... But God sees all. Including the arrogance of posing as a “good” Christian while judging those who are not as skilled in presenting the façade.
God knows your depravity. Your deepest, darkest secrets, the deeds, and thoughts you are most ashamed of – The things you bury and try to forget…These are the brutal reasons for the Cross … and none of us are beyond needing the enormous payment the cross provides.
We are called to point out and stand against sin – but we should do it transparently, not in an accusatory manor as though we do not battle sin ourselves. None of it is hidden from God, and none of it is OK with Him ... And yet, because of the Cross - We are clean.
There is freedom in that. We do not need to project false piety. We do not need to craft our spiritual “profile” to conceal the blemishes. What we DO need to do - is own it - and stop pretending it is okay.
Something that has disappeared from our doctrine is a hatred for sin that generates confession and repentance…. We prefer instead to blame our sin on others, call it sickness, or normalize it.
But God says we need to confess sin with tears on our face …. Not so God will know about it - but so He will know that we know about it…. and that we know that it is unacceptable.
Confession that leads to repentance produces change…and that is what God intends for you. Christianity cannot be a part of your life – it must end your life - and allow you to be reborn as a new, different person.
If we intend to be called Christians, we must abhor sin and reflect Christ in our attitudes and actions. If we are not committed to this, we either need to change our ways - or change our name.
“More than once Jesus deliberately addressed certain issues that quickly diminished the number of onlookers. It was commitment that thinned the ranks.” - Chuck Swindoll
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