LIKE IT OR NOT, MILLIONS HAVE BEEN watching the day-to-day antics in the months past. Though knowing full well that nothing is hidden, it’s been noticeable how easy it has been for people to forget (or not even care) that everything is heard, seen and recorded—even in the dark! After months of drawn-out viewing,
the finale comes, with a huge prize for the winner. For whoever wins, after such a long time of being scrutinised, and after every task and personal conflict that’s gone on during this time, you cannot deny what
a courageous effort it will have been to make it all the way to the end. It must also be nice to finally go home after such a long time in confinement.
But will the whole ordeal have been worth it? One thing is for sure, it will have been life changing!
And come to think of it, what I just said sounds just like that controversial TV show Big Brother.
It defies logic to think we humans still continue on “sinning,” all the while knowing that God, who ultimately makes the decision of who can and can’t receive eternal life, is watching every action we take.
We know what is right and what is wrong. We know the rules that God provided for our best living. We know what pleases and upsets God. We know He watches every move we make. But our human weakness is shown when, having all this knowledge, we still slip up in full view of our Judge, time and again.
And there’s another dimension to this constant surveillance: not only are our actions being observed and our words monitored, but even our thoughtsare being read. So for those who think they can steer clear of physically committing a “noteworthy” and observable sin, this is where you’ll come undone.
It certainly doesn’t take much to think a sinful thought. Many times we don’t even notice how our thoughts are sinful. Pride, judging, desire, hate and curses can cruise through our thought process in an instant.
One tiny thought and taa-daa—you’re nominated for eviction from heaven even before you get a glimpse of glory.
What a disgrace we must be to our God!
The things we think and do in blatant full view of our Creator.
One day, after reading Matthew 28:20— “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”—I mused to myself, Is this a promise, Lord, or a threat?Sure, we want protection 24/7. But to gain protection
means surveillance 24/7 too. We simply don’t get any personal time to relax and live
“off the record.” How can we live under such constant scrutiny and still come out looking even half-acceptable to God?
I can imagine why Adam and Eve wanted to hide after they first felt guilt, right after their first sin, which really hit home when the Lord came walking their way.
What if the Lord came walking your way as you were in the midst of sinning? I can imagine feeling embarrassed, apologetic and defensive, trying to shift the blame. I’d certainly rather hide and not be
noticed. But the point is there is no hiding place. There is nowhere to run. Nothing we do is in secret.
But beyond seeing our actions and thoughts, God goes a step further. He looks as deep as is possible into our personal lives—past our superficial actions and words, in past our thoughts, and delves straight into our hearts. Thankfully, this is where we finally start to look good in God’s eyes.
In our hearts, He sees our intentions—what it is that’s going on in our hearts that drives our actions. He sees our heart’s remorse over the sins we carry out again and again. He sees that our hearts long to be made new. He sees that our hearts are crying out to be home with Him.
It is the intentions of our hearts that overrule any of our sinful thoughts and actions for which we feel remorse. In our judgment, good and bad deeds are put aside and good and bad thoughts are put aside. It’s the good and bad hearts that are dealt with, a job no human could ever accurately judge.
(Remember, a good heart always brings good deeds, but good deeds don’t always mean a good heart.)
Basically, the scrutiny of our entire lives comes down to our heart’s feelings for God and our acceptance of Jesus as our savior (which then brings into play Justifications and Sanctification). If this is what God sees in us, even as He sees us stumble, then we actually have a chance of winning.