“Have you ever done something you knew you shouldn’t,” I asked Stan one morning, “but you did it anyway because you thought no one would ever know?”
Stan just about choked over his coffee with a laugh, and said,” You might as well ask me if I’ve ever taken a breath! Yeah, way too many times have I fallen to Satan’s lie that no one will ever know, rather than followed the truth of what God has to say about it.”
“What does God have to say about it?” I asked.
“That there are no secrets,” Stan replied. “Luke’s gospel account of what Jesus had to say on the matter is that nothing is hidden that won’t become evident, and there is nothing that is secret that won’t come to light.”
“Well,” I replied, “that seems pretty clear.”
“Yeah,” Stan said, “and the apostle Paul wrote about the same thing when he wrote that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.”
“Maybe,” I replied, “that people think that’s a long time in the future and they don’t need to worry about it now.”
“That’s certainly possible,” Stan said, “along with the fact that their sins are forgiven by accepting the finished work of the cross, but I prefer to look at this in the light of what it means for my faith walk before then.”
“How so?” I asked.
“If I don’t want to have any bad stuff made known to everyone down the line, whenever that might be, just don’t do it now. Live the life God has for me to live so I will hear His ‘well done’ both now and later!”
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Bible verses to consider:
For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. Luke 8:17.
Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for the truth that nothing is hidden and that all will be disclosed. I confess that too often I do things that I know I shouldn’t because I think that no one will know, without taking into account that you know and that everyone will know at some point. Please forgive that foolishness. And please help me to not fall for the lie that I can do whatever I want as long as no one knows, along with the lie that I can do whatever I want because I am forgiven. Help me in following every step of your lead so I live the life you have for me to live, without foolishly trying to live a secret life apart from you. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you ever done something you knew you shouldn’t because you thought no one would know and it wouldn’t make any difference? If so, what was that all about? Do you believe that everything about us will eventually come out and we will be compensated for it? If you sense the need for change in the “secret” things in your life, how is that going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 