Hiding Won't Help
I planned to call this blog Hiding Won’t Save You from the Rotating Blade of Death, but decided against it. I must give my son, Andrew, credit for the intriguing (and perhaps alarming) title. You can let me know if I should’ve gone with it.
My son-in-law, Nate, has a landscaping business. One day, as he was cutting the grass for one of his clients, a bunny darted out from underneath the mower. Others haven’t been so lucky. Apparently, it’s not uncommon for rabbits to try to hide in shallow holes with the hope that the rotating blade of death will somehow pass over and leave them unharmed. That is not the case.
I wonder how often we think the same thing. If we bury the anger, we’ll never have to deal with it. If we talk about someone behind their back, they’ll never know. If we stuff our lustful longings for a coworker, they’ll just go away. It doesn’t work for the bunnies, and it won’t work for us. Jesus says this in Luke 12:2: There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known (NIV). God already knows. And it will come out some day. So let’s deal with our stuff.
At this point, you may think I’m being a bit dramatic… which I am prone to. The consequences of the examples above can be severe, but would you compare any of them to facing a rotating blade of death? I wouldn’t. Not in and of themselves. It’s the belief or attitude that often accompanies them, and all our wrongdoing, that leads to a fate worse than the bunnies who stay in their hole: If I just hide my sin, no one will know. Who will it hurt?
God knows and sees everything. Because He is perfect and righteous, He must punish our sin. And He ultimately does, with something far worse than a rotating blade of death: eternal torment apart from Him. Since everyone sins, what chance do we have?
Thankfully, God is also merciful. He made a way to punish our sin without punishing us. He sent His Son, Jesus, Who lived a perfect life. Right before He died, Christ took on all the sin of the world, and paid the price we couldn’t pay. And He suffered the consequences that were meant for us. Then He arose, conquering sin and death. And He offers us the gift of salvation, or being saved from the judgment our wrongdoings have earned us. We just need to accept it.
We do that by acknowledging the things we’ve done wrong; admitting that there is nothing we can do to make them right; asking for forgiveness; then inviting Jesus to be our Savior and the Lord of our life. Once we do, we begin a whole new life as a new creation (II Cor 5:17). One that continually seeks to know and serve God. [Matt 13:47-50; II Thess 1:8-9; Rev 20:10-15; Rom 3:20-26, 6:23, 10:9-10; II Cor 5:17,21; Eph 2:8-10, John 1:12-13; I John 2:1-6]
If this is new to you, or you have any questions, please let me know. I’d count it a privilege to tell you more about Jesus.
A life or death message I needed to share along the way. TAGS: Hiding, bunnies, revealed, dangerous, Luke, salvation, sin
