Friday, May 20, 2016
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When our oldest grandson was 15 months old, he was our favorite entertainer. Who needed TV? Who needs some show you have to buy a ticket for? No, the Jason Show was free! It seemed like he had a new trick every day. His parents used to throw a blanket over his head and ask, "Where's Jason?" He would pull that blanket off, flash a big smile, and his parents would say excitedly, "There's Jason!"
Now Jason took that to another level. He doesn't need the blanket. All we have to say is, "Where's Jason?" And he promptly puts both his little hands over his face. Of course, he's peeking between his fingers a little bit. I guess he thought he was hiding. Then, he pulls his hands away and shrieks with surprise and excitement. And we responded on cue, "There's Jason!" We loved it! Let me tell you a little secret. The whole time Jason thought he was hiding – we knew exactly where he was.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "No Secrets."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Hebrews 4:13, and it exposes our little games of hide-and-seek with God. We cover our face and we think He doesn't know where we are – and He knows all the time. God's Word says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" So, there's nothing you've done that God hasn't seen. There's nothing you've thought that God doesn't know. And there's nothing you are that God isn't aware of.
In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus has a message for each of seven churches, and in a sense, for all believers. All seven messages follow the same pattern. He reviews what people see when they look at these folks and then He tells what He sees, which is often very different from the image everyone else sees.
Take the church at Sardis, for example. Here is Jesus' blunt spiritual X-ray "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." Ask anyone else about these folks and they would tell you, "Oh, they're really alive over there!" Ask Jesus and He says, "I know they're really dead."
Those two sobering words are used with every group of believers – "I know." And what Jesus knows about you, that's the real you. That's the real deal. That's the untouched photos. That's the truth. Among these people in Revelation are some who are busy for the Lord. But Jesus looks underneath and says, "You don't love Me like you used to." He sees another group who appear to be totally together and successful but He says they're settling for spiritual mediocrity and "lukewarmness." As Samuel said so perceptively, "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
So, hide-and-seek games don't work with God. He knows where you really are all the time. Now at first that might seem like bad news, because there are some things you're not very proud of. But the good news is there is one Person in your life with whom you have nothing to hide – nothing you can hide.
You can experience the wonderful freedom of coming to your Heavenly Father with the real you. You don't have to hide yourself in spiritual God-talk; in saying what you're supposed to say, feeling like you're supposed to feel. You come as you really are, feeling like you really feel, needing what you really need – to a Savior whose love (thank God!) is totally unconditional! And as you bring the real you to Him, you'll find Him becoming more and more real to you. And you'll find yourself experiencing His forgiving, His cleansing, His healing in parts of you you've never opened up to Him before.
This God who knows all about you, this Savior who knows all about you and loves you anyway... Isn't it time that you made the Savior your Savior if you never have? By going to His cross where He died for you, to say, "Jesus, for me (Those two words "for me"), you're doing this for me, and I want you for me."
I would even invite you to go to our website sometime. I've really set it up just so I could walk you down the road to belonging to Jesus. That website is ANewStory.com. Please go there today.
Take off the mask. Quit trying to cover your face. God already knows exactly where you are and He's ready to change you.