Don’t Lie!

“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?’” Proverbs 20:9

One of the things you try to teach young children is to not lie. Perhaps you have stood in front of your child and asked, “Buddy, did you cut your sister’s hair?” While holding a pair of scissors in his hand, he resolutely denies any involvement! You don’t have to teach that–how naturally we try to hide our sin from those who would find us out.

Fast forward to adulthood. As we mature, we still try to hide our sin. We put on masks to cover up the realities of our hearts. We involve ourselves in good things, we volunteer to serve those around us, we sacrifice our time and energy for the sake of the kingdom. Yet, when we honestly take stock of our hearts, we see sin. There is sin in every heart. No one will be free of sin this side of eternity in the presence of our Savior.

Friends–this is the issue. We must not lie and say our hearts are pure. Daily, we must get on our faces before Almighty God, confess our sin and ask for His mercy and grace that we might honor Him with our lives. You see, God is our Father. As our perfect heavenly Father, He sees everything. He sees our hearts. He sees our lies. He sees the reality of our desperate, constant need of grace. That’s why John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” Don’t lie to God. No amount of effort will purify your heart. Admit your sin. Accept His forgiveness. Live by grace.

-Pastor Mike