Now is the time... To Come Clean

…..the time is coming when everything will be revealed; all that is secret will be made public. Matthew 10:26

The other day I switched my range hood light on and was horrified to see that the black glass stove top was badly in need of a clean; it had been missed when we’d cleaned up in the morning. The grime had been hidden until the light came on.

However, a much more shocking example came to our Australian TV screens recently when a millionaire businessman disappeared between Melbourne airport and his home. His car was found a day or two later and then after a few more days police discovered his remains and quickly arrested two people for his murder. It was all very puzzling and strange but what transpired was that this seemingly very respectable man had been leading a very double life.

He is not around to live through the shame but sadly his poor wife, and their 2 children, in their late teens, are left behind not only to grieve the death of their husband and father but also to somehow deal with the shock and shame of his other life as a ‘swinger’. I cannot begin to imagine what these dear people are suffering right now.

The lesson that comes so clearly from this story is that our actions always affect others. We have a choice to live by God’s word, in obedience to its truth and guidance or we can choose to do things that go against God’s way. How we choose will either bring life or death.
Even in the smaller things in life we can lead a double life. We can put on a happy, gracious and smiling face to the world outside our door but in our home we can be angry, unreasonable and tyrannical.

We can be a pillar of the church or society and yet have secret vices and hidden sins that hold us captive. We see this revealed on a regular basis these days. Satan traps us into such bondages but he doesn’t mind at all when we get found out. He is a ruthless destroyer who will lie to us to get us to do things that will destroy us. We will get found out one way or another, because one day God’s light is going to shine in such a way that everything will be revealed. It may be sooner, it may be later, but it will happen.

It’s time to come clean. God’s grace is available to us to help us do what is right and get cleaned up. We need to do it not only for our own sake but for the sake of those who are being hurt, or will be hurt, by our double life. Remember King David’s sin of adultery was revealed by the prophet Nathan and David repented. Perhaps you need to pray his prayer…. (Psalm 51:10,12).

Prayer: Create in me a clean heart O God; renew a right spirit within me…… Restore to me again the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. Amen