We all live with some facade. Few are comfortable allowing the world to see all their faults and failures. There are things we wish we did better and things we wish we didn’t do at all. If we’re honest, we all have secrets and things we hide from the view of others. It can range from the smallest bad habit to the most extreme action. We’re so careful to make certain these things never surface, that they do nothing to damage the picture we show to the world. Along the way, we forget one of the earliest lessons we ever learned: there is nothing you can hide from God.
In a recent message, Andy Stanley said something that really struck me. He said we should ask ourselves a question before undertaking an activity. To paraphrase, Pastor Stanley said, “If what I’m about to do would disappoint my spouse – whom I love – how much more should I avoid it because it will disappoint Jesus – whom I love more?” I think that’s brilliant. So often we are willing to compromise if we think no one will ever know, all the while knowing intellectually that God already knows what we are planning to do.
This really goes back to how much we love Him. If we love Him, our desire will be to never disappoint Him. No true follower of Christ ever sets out hoping to let Him down. Jesus allowed Himself to be brutally tortured and even murdered on our behalf. The last thing we should ever want to do is disrespect what He did for us by walking contrary to His commands. Still, how often do we find ourselves engaging in sin without ever giving a thought to how our behavior affects Jesus? He died to deliver us from sin, yet we continue to revel in it.
Sin should mortify us. The very hint of it of it should make us run away – fast and far. Why would we ever want to do anything to disappoint Him? Whenever I sin, I envision myself as one of those who spit in His face and mocked Him. After all, our refusal to live for Him is not far removed from the unbelief of those who crucified Him. They rejected His teachings because it convicted them of their own shortcomings. Are we so different when we sin? Essentially we are saying that we’d rather do things the devil’s way instead of God’s way. We have no secrets from God, and that can be a very dangerous thing.
If someone closest to you knew your thoughts, words, or actions, would you be ashamed? Recognize that God knows. No matter how well you might hide your sin from others, God knows. Don’t get caught up in the shame of that. He has already forgiven us for our sin. Rather, be concerned with what our willingness to sin says about our love for Jesus. Let’s drop the facade and live authentically. It won’t be perfect, but it will be honest. Our thoughts, words, and actions will reflect how much we love God. We hide no secrets from Him.