A TRUTH TELLING FATHER     

When I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is uncovered.  They do not consider in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness.  Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.  Hosea 7:1

         Repentance begins with the recognition that God sees my sin, is grieved by it, and longs to forgive.  If I pretend that He doesn’t notice it, I will fail to take responsibility for it.  It’s as if I believe that God is a God who doesn’t see all, hear alls, and perceive all.  But meanwhile, everything I do, and everything I think of doing, is under His spotlight.  Since sin is conceived in the heart, what is in my heart is as real as if I had already said it or done it.  There are no secrets.

God’s desire is to heal and forgive.  That is His bent.  When I block His great love, expressed by His desire to forgive and restore, by hiding or denying my sin, He is frustrated because He is not able to do what He longs to do for me.  Justification is dependent upon me coming to grips with the reality that I am accountable for my choices.  Until I can agree with God about my sin, I will not see its seriousness, nor will I seek forgiveness for the real offenses.  If I minimize them in any way, total and complete forgiveness is not mine.

How many times have my prayers sounded like this.  “I know I shouldn’t have done _________, but I only did it because ___________.   And, at least I didn’t do ___________, like so-and-so did.”

This kind of rationalization makes me feel better about myself but it is really self-destructive.  I compartmentalize my sin.  I am like a house that looks great from the street.  I impress others with well-executed curb appeal but the true state of affairs exists behind closed doors.  The bad news is ~ God lives in the house and can see every closet.  And the good news is ~ God lives in the house and can see every closet.

I open every space to the convicting and cleansing winds of this truth-telling Father.

I hide nothing from you, nor do I need to.  Forgiveness, the kind that dresses me in robes of Your Son’s righteousness, is on the other side of repentance.  Oh, thank you!  Amen