For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecc 12:14)
If you died tomorrow, would you be ready to account for your life? Twenty-five years ago today, seven young, intelligent and vibrant people "slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God". Nineteen years before that, three other astronauts were caught in a tragic fire that claimed their lives as well. There have been other losses of life in our quest to "conquer" space and in each death, the question that come to my mind is not whether we should be continuing our exploration of space, but were they truly prepared to meet with God on that day?
With the acceptance of Jesus as our Savior, God has forgiven our sins. That is not to say that we are not accountable for them. What answers will you give for those "secret" things you've done? Our lies and self-justifications will not satisfy the Creator of all things. Like our earthly parents, our heavenly Father will want to know why!!! What were your motives? What did you hope to accomplish? Was it worth it?
Only God knows the exact moment that our death will come. He gives us more than enough time to give up our sinful ways. There are so many things we are told not to partake in throughout the Bible, yet some focus only on the Ten Commandments, and some ignore them completely and focus on the two that Jesus gave us. In either case, many of us have broken every single one on them, and some, on more than one occasion. And those with the pious attitude of "well, I never did that" should be careful not to look at what they think makes them better than others by not having committed as particular violation of the word of God, but to look at what they have done that has so disgustingly betrayed the one who made them. We are all sinners, we are all guilty of sin and we will all be judged accordingly. We will answer for everything (good and bad). We all have an appointment with God. We are all accountable!
Do not consider yourself to be "above" anyone because of your religion; as a matter of fact, do not consider yourself to be above anyone period. The tiny details of Satan's lures of us are described in God's Word - the only way you will know them is if you read it. They are not generally preached about from pulpits and altars for fear of giving too much information, losing congregants or scaring people away. I can honestly say that the church I attend is not of that mentality. My pastor preaches the Word of God from the Word of God! He holds nothing back and does not care who he offends by doing so - which is how it should be. If you are offended by what is in the Bible, you might want to examine why you are offended!
Remember, although you are forgiven (provided you've accepted Jesus into your heart), you are accountable. As each of your "secrets" come to your mind, ask yourself "why" and be honest enough to account to yourself for them. In doing so, you may just open the door for a greater walk now! God won't desert you! He promised!
[Suggested Scripture reading for January 28, 2011 - Gen 25-26]
