Saturday, May 26, 2012

Naked deceptions...

About a week ago one morning I woke up from a dream. I rarely dream when I sleep. On occasions that I have dreamt in my sleep, when I wake up I wouldn't recall what I had dreamt.  This particular morning I woke up and remembered my dream - I was standing stark naked in broad daylight.  Unless you were a nudist, for any grown up man or woman standing stark naked in the broad daylight is an unnerving experience. Especially when you are someone who relies on his clothes to hide the "abs of flab" and all other bodily imperfections.  When I woke up I shared this dream with my wife and as we were talking she quipped - "isn't that how every human being is in the sight of God, standing stark naked! He may be saying something to you."  When I heard her say that, it felt like a jab, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. Aren't we standing stark naked in the sight of God, with all our imperfections and shortcomings, that we hide from our spouses, children, friends, our near and dear ones, and the world. We present to others what we want them to see about us.  The true person that we are, we cover it up well. We are good at deceptions!

Paul wrote, the absence of fear of God in our lives leads us to become full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.  They (the ungodly) are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful.  They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents.  They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. (Romans 1:28-31).  Man does absolute wickedness in the cover of darkness, behind closed doors, hidden away from all prying eyes.

But are we really deceiving anyone with our smartness at this game of cover up we play or are we deceiving ourselves?  In Revelations, chapter one, Apostle John writes of his vision of Christ.  "When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.  And in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man.  He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.  His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow.  And his eyes were bright like flames of fire.  His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.  He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth.  His face was bright as the sun in all its brilliance."

When a lamp is lit in a dark room, it's light brightens up the darkness in the room disclosing/exposing its contents. And so when the omnipresent LORD, described in John's vision, with eyes bright as flaming fire, feet as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, a face as bright as the sun in all its brilliance, is presently looking at us, what we conduct in the secret is absolutely, fully exposed in his line of sight. The Bible says, "the eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." (2Chronicles16:9).

In the book of Zechariah, chapter one, we read of another vision, a vision prophet Zechariah had on February 15, 519 B.C., "In a vision during the night, I saw a man sitting on a red horse that was standing among some myrtle trees in a small valley.  Behind him were red, brown, and white horses, each with its own rider.  I asked the angel who was talking with me, "My lord, what are all those horses for?"  "I will show you," the angel replied.  So the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the LORD has sent out to patrol the earth." The Bible in 2Kings 6:17, talks of the vision of prophet Elisha's servant as the Aramaen king and his troops were closing in to capture Elisha, "Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!"  The LORD opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire."  God's heavenly host is everywhere, his eyes are upon us at all times!

Our pursuit to gratify our insatiable lust takes form in the innermost depths, the dark corners of our heart and mind, unseen and unknown to anyone else, but they are totally, fully exposed in the brightness of the eyes of the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient LORD.  His eyes, bright like flames of fire search out the darkest corners of our hearts and minds, hid from human eyes, to see if we are fully committed to him.  For if we are not, be mindful of what the LORD says in Revelations 16:15, "Take note:  I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed."

Lord have mercy upon us. As David prayed, search me O God and know my heart. Test me and know my thoughts.  Point out within me anything that displeases you. And lead me in the paths of everlasting life.  May your grace lead us home!

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