Jump Start # 868

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Our verse today is the last verse in the book of Ecclesiastes. It is a sober reminder that we shall stand before God. There is a coming judgment we all face. That thought alone can be scary, but knowing “everything which is hidden” will also be known and judged can be terrifying. The ESV uses the expression, everything which is “secret.”

Secrets. We all have secrets. Secret thoughts. Secret things that we have done. Secrets that we’d like to keep secret. There are secrets that our family does not know. There are secrets that we keep from friends and brethren. We’d die in embarrassment if these secrets were revealed. There is a reason why secrets are secret. No one knows about these things except you, and God. The “and God” part reminds us that our secrets are not really secret. The “and God” part reminds us that He will judge us for those “secret” things.

How does a person live with secrets? Do you find the one trusted friend in life and reveal your secrets to him or her? What if your secrets are about that one trusted friend? How can we live in peace and assurance knowing we have these secrets?

Our passage reminds us that the things hidden are not all bad. It states, “everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” That implies things which others do not know. They may not be secret because they are wrong, we just haven’t told others about them. There have kind deeds, good acts, little gifts, going out of the way, going to bat for someone that we haven’t kept a list of nor gone around and told others. We do them and go on with life. Just this week a friend reminded me of something I did for him more than twenty years ago. I don’t remember it. It meant a lot to him. Those are some of the hidden things. We fill a lifetime of doing things for others. They don’t have to be huge, but simple things. Helping someone move…babysitting a friend’s child…taking someone to the airport…allowing a friend to spend the night…taking food to someone…write a heart felt note…buying a college kid lunch…driving a long way to hear a friend preach…cutting someone’s yard when they are busy with a funeral or are out of town…giving someone tickets to a show that they would enjoy. We all do things like this all the time. It’s being nice. It’s being neighborly. It’s being a friend. Nothing big. Most of these things we soon forget because we are busy doing other things. Hidden things. God saw them. God will reveal them. These are the kinds of things that make a congregation special. It’s the connections, the love, the care. Hidden things are done all the time. It would be wrong to try to find out what everyone is doing and list them. There is no need for that. Doing that would take away the purpose and joy of those kind acts. They are hidden, but God knows.

Other hidden things or secrets can be evil. It’s those that really haunt us and hang over us like a cloud. Some how we tend to forget the good we’ve done and we remember the bad. Those things drain us and make us feel that we are failures and will never make it to Heaven. How do we live with those secrets?

There can only be one true answer and that is forgiveness by God. His grace is beyond understanding. He loves us and wants us to spend forever with Him. God forgives. God forgives secret sins. The secrets that He knows are washed away. They are blotted out. They are cleansed by His forgiving grace. Without this, we would dread God. We would do all that we could to keep living, fearing death and fearing being judged by Him. Paul looked forward to seeing God after death. He viewed death as a gain. Was it because Paul didn’t have any secrets? No. He had secrets. We all do. His sins were forgiven by God.

Instead of running from God, we run towards God. We love Him, because He loves us. He hasn’t given up on us. Broken as we are, He doesn’t throw us away.  God’s grace is for everyone, however, not everyone will receive it. They must believe God. They must want God. They must trust God. They must follow God. Forgiveness is for those who are seeking God.

Secrets—secret acts of kindness…secret thoughts…secret sins. Forgiven things are no longer there to be seen. Forgiven things are gone. Forgiveness is the only way to live with secrets.

Roger