Are you hiding any secrets?
Maybe you’re a Christian in deep debt, but you know what the Bible has to say about money, so you want to hide your debt from your family.
Maybe you’re a parent, and one of your children is simply out of control. You struggle to go to church on a Sunday because people might find out about your rebellious son or daughter.
Maybe you’re in a marriage that's struggling; you and your spouse are always arguing. That spark of love has long since disappeared, but you fake a healthy Christian marriage to impress those around you.
Be honest. Is there some place in life where you’re hiding the real you?
Let me pastor you. Did you know that one of the most comforting messages in the entire Bible is that, in all of our sin, weakness, and failure, we don’t have to hide from God? In the midst of all your self-imposed difficulty and foolish life decisions, God will never respond to you in shock or disgust.
In fact, if the Bible does anything, it welcomes you out of your self-imposed prison of fear and shame. The Bible welcomes you to step out of the darkness and into the light, to face reality honestly and with hope.
The message of the Bible is that we don't need to hide anymore. There's a God whose grace is bigger and more powerful than any of our brokenness and failure. There is no sin so deep that Jesus isn’t deeper.
You don't have to hide. You don't have to run. You don't have to shrink away in shame. The honesty of the Bible is a welcome for you and I to be that honest.
With that in mind, I want you to seriously consider the Reflection Questions below. Maybe in previous weeks you've quickly glanced over them, said a short prayer, and went on with your day. I would encourage you to slow down and take them seriously. Maybe today is a day where you come out of hiding.
Remember, there's nothing that can be exposed about you that the Cross of Jesus Christ hasn't already covered.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What secret sins or struggles are you currently hiding?
- How effective are you at hiding those sins and struggles from God? (HINT: Not at all...yes, that was a trick question!)
- Why have you be hesitant to confess your sins and struggles to others?
- Who can you go to with your sins and struggles? (HINT: don't immediately rush to your pastor. The body of Christ is designed for this; find a brother or sister for help.)
- Are you a better law-keeper than grace-giver? In other words, are you living in an anti-biblical way that discourages people from sharing their brokenness with you?
