Welcome to Tuesday, August 10th!

Today’s episode of The Cross Talk Daily Devotional is titled:

Covering Up Our Sins

Thanks for listening!

If you desire further information, you may request it from [email protected].

Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995}

* * * * * *

Covering Up Our Sins

A couple of Sundays ago, I preached on how engaging in sin can so easily bring us down to the depths of depravity. The text was the Old Testament account of King David and Bathsheba. The fact is that all of us have real-life experiences with the insidiousness of sin.

I shared a short quote with the congregation to sum up both the experience of King David and all of us when we get caught up in the web of sin.

Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you’d go; it will keep you there longer than you ever intended to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay.

When we consider the sin David engaged in and the consequences he experienced, we readily declare that we will never fall into such a trap. And yet, we do!

Since we still carry our old nature around with us, we fall into the clutches of sin on a regular basis. Our desire is that we wouldn’t, but it happens. What we do next is so important; it determines the outcome.

Two options are available to us.

King David chose one option. He decided to cover up his sin. Many people seek to do the very same thing - to cover up their sins. The folly of this is found in the fact that God is omniscient, that is, all-knowing.

Scripture records a number of notable individuals who sought to cover up their sins. The story of Adam and Eve jumps off the first few pages of the Bible. They soon found out that God knew what they had done.

A New Testament example is Ananias and Sapphira who sought to hide the details of their money fraud. They paid for their coverup with their lives.

Can we hide anything from God? Of course not! When teaching catechism classes I always emphasize the omniscience and the omnipresence of God. I remind the students that wherever they go God is there and that he knows everything about what they are doing. I sometimes can see by the look in their eyes that they had never considered that.

Hebrews 4:13 NAS95

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

If King David chose one option, what is the second? The second is to come before the Lord confessing and repenting of our sin.

1 John 1:9 NAS95

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

King David resisted owning up to and confessing his sin. For months after his sin, David kept quiet somehow believing that time would erode the memory of God. God intervened using the prophet Nathan to bring David to repentance.

Maybe you are living under a cloud of sin. Perhaps, as with King David, you have sought to cover it up which means you are in fact unrepentant.

Remember, God already knows. His greatest desire is for you to own up to what you have done and to come before him with a penitent and repentant heart confessing your sin.

The great blessing is that if we do this we can claim the promise found in:

Psalms 103:12 NAS95

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Since God already knows what you have done, just bring it before the Lord.

Let’s Pray,

Gracious Heavenly Father,

We find it so easy to fool ourselves over our sin.

May we be reminded that You know everything about our lives.

May we see the folly of trying to hide our sin from You.

In the Name of Jesus,

Amen!