11/23/2020
Do we accept responsibility for our sins, or are we like a lying child who won’t face something he has done, choosing to make an excuse, or blame it on another instead? When we have succumbed to the snare of temptation, and done a wrong thing, we will certainly face the punishment for it, we will get our just desserts, and yes, we will have fallen into a hole that we dug for ourselves. So how often is it that we deny our sinfulness, hoping that we can escape the inescapable judgement of God... only to be discovered in the act, and called to task for it?
“He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.”
Psalm 7:15 ESV
We can’t escape the trouble we have made for ourselves, nor the consequences for it, yet we add to our sin, and punishment, by heaping a lie onto it, and lying is a powerful sin, and its punishment severe...
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.””
Revelation 21:8 ESV
I remember a time as a little boy when my mother took me to the drug store with her to pick up a few things. Although we drove there I remember her nervousness because she didn’t know how to drive very well. Back then many women didn’t know how to drive, and drug stores were called five and dime stores. However, some things haven’t changed, and the candy counter was right beside the cash register so that it would tempt every child who passed by, and it was always at just the right height for their eyes to see... and hands to grab.
On this particular day I had asked for a piece of Nickel candy, but money was tight for us at that time, and she said “no... maybe next time.” As we passed the candy counter I quickly reached out my hand, and slipped a piece into my pocket. No one saw me, but when we got back to the car I climbed into the back seat, and stealthily unwrapped my stolen candy and popped it into my mouth, but my mother looked in the rear view mirror, and caught me in the act. “Where did you get that candy?” she asked, to which I responded with the best lie I could concoct on such short notice... “I found it!”
With great strength and determination she took me by the hand, pulled me from the back seat, and marched me back into the store where I confessed my wrong doing to the clerk, and she counted out five pennies from her change purse to pay for the candy. As ewe returned to the car, the walk of shame, I was told that when we got home I was to go to my room where I would “Wait until your father comes home!” Mom punished me for stealing the candy, but my Dad spanked me for the lie. It is the same way today as adults when we commit sins... the lies we tell trying to avoid disappointing God, and facing His correction, often turn out to be much more severe than the punishment we would receive if we had only confessed, been contrite, and asked for forgiveness. Our sins always find us out... after all the God knows our heart, and is omnipresent.
“His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.”
Psalm 7:16 ESV
There was a study done which revealed that the average person lies 25 times a day, and I was shocked by this. Have we become so accustomed to this sin of lying that most don’t even realize when they are doing it? I wondered how many of these lies were told by believers, and if they were told to cover up another sin?
In my story of the stolen candy, there was one last part I need to tell you... after stealing, lying, and receiving my punishments, my mother sat beside me at bedtime, and as she tucked me in we talked about how my behavior had disappointed Jesus, and had made Him sad. Then as she listened, I tearfully prayed, telling Jesus how sorry I was, and asking Him to forgive me. I told Him that I wouldn’t do that again, and when I had finished, Mom said that she was certain that He had heard me, and had forgiven me. So as she turned out the light, I snuggled into bed, with the world having been lifted from my shoulders, and slept in perfect peace.
So where are we this morning, today, or tonight? Are we carrying a sin around with us like a festering blister, concocting a lie to cover it up, or are we experiencing the peace of Christ after having come to Him with a contrite heart, and prayed for His forgiveness? Are you ready to pray the simple prayer of a child who needs to feel the love of Jesus again? Then don’t hesitate, and kneel before Him now.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the peace we find in you, and the forgiveness you provide us to reestablish it when we have sinned, become distraught, and gone astray. Help us Lord to face our sins without attempting to cover them up by shirking our responsibility for them behind thinly veiled lies. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who is merciful, and forgives us, not only for those physical sins we might commit, but for the lies we stand behind as we attempt to hide our shame from you. Hear our prayers of contrition Lord, and separate us from our sins. We praise you for every forgiven lie that you have washed from us, and the grace you pour out on us in the process. Come quickly Lord Jesus, and lead us before our Heavenly Father in this our time of purity when we have been washed in your blood, and redeemed by your eternal love. Judge us worthy in Christ Father, opening the door, of your home to us, and preparing us a place at your table forevermore.
Rich Forbes