Daily Devotional for February 18, 2011

Psalm 31:1-2
Our God, you bless everyone whose sins you forgive and wipe away. You bless them by saying, "You told me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you."

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Someone told me recently about baking a pie, and some of the egg yolk got in the egg whites for the meringue, and they would not beat stiffly. The baker said, “I’ll just cover the pie with frozen whipped topping, and nobody will care.” I was reminded of a time when my grandmother covered dinner rolls she had made for a family dinner with a dish towel atop her gas stove. You guessed it… the towel caught fire when she turned on a burner, and bits of ashy residue baked into the tops of the rolls. She said to me, “Maybe nobody will notice.”

I know that covering meringue on a pie with whipped topping is not a “sin” – nor is scraping ashes off of a pan of hot rolls and hoping nobody will suspect any foul play. But the fact is, we play fast and loose with the truth in situations that really do matter… and often! We pretend our sins are not really sins, and we try to smooth things over with others… and with God… when all the while, the truth would serve us far better.

Look at this passage again… God says, “You told me your sins, without trying to hide them, and now I forgive you.” Let’s face it… God knows what we do and say already. Trying to hide anything from God is impossible and only serves to make us look more foolish. When will we get how much God loves us? When will we understand that He is not waiting with a whip and a chain, ready to beat us into submission? God wants us to be real with Him… to be honest… to do our best, and confess our shortcomings… and there will be plenty!

What are you trying to hide these days? What have you “scraped off” or “covered in whipped topping?” Isn’t it time you came clean with God and basked in His mercy and forgiveness? Get everything out in the open with God… confess your sins to Him… tell Him what He already knows (but wants to hear from you)… and begin to enjoy a new level of His blessings, joy and peace.

©2011 Debbie Robus

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