Sometimes Not Knowing is a Good Thing

The Secret Keeper

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NCV)  There are some things the Lord our God has kept secret, but there are some things he has let us know. These things belong to us and our children forever so that we will do everything in these teachings.

Are you a “secret” keeper? When someone asks you if you can keep a secret, do you listen and then hide what was revealed somewhere down deep? I think I’ve been a “secret” keeper since I was 5 years-old. My father and I were out Christmas shopping for my Mom. When we finally found the perfect gift, Dad asked me not to tell my mom what we purchased. He explained that if I told her what her gift was, she wouldn't be a surprise on Christmas day.  I guess this made sense to me so I kept the identity of the gift a secret. Try as she may, I never revealed the contents of the package.

Sometimes there are really good reasons for us not to know things. In Deuteronomy 29:29 we learn that God has kept some things secret from us. Have you ever wondered why? This morning as I read over this verse, I was reminded of the tiny little secret I kept as a 5-year-old. It was an innocent little secret not meant to hurt anyone. It was simply not the time to reveal the contents of the gift. My dad’s intent was to surprise my mom.

When I think about why God keeps secrets, I don’t think He’s unfair or trying to “keep” something from us just to zap us. God is not unfair or unjust. His character, revealed through scripture, is completely the opposite.  God is light (1 John 1:5), love (1 John 4:8) and He is full of peace (1 Cor. 14:33). “The Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” (Deuteronomy 7:9 – NIV)  He loves us so much (John 3:16). He even calls us His children...heirs (Romans 8:17). 

So why would he keep “secrets”? The notes in my study Bible offers 3 possibilities:

1. Our finite minds can’t fully understand the infinite aspects of God’s nature and the universe (Ecc. 3:11)
2. Some things are unnecessary for us know until we are more mature
3. God is infinite and all-knowing, and we do not have the capacity to know everything He does

Number 2 really spoke to me this morning. I know there have been several times in my life where I would not have grown in my faith and trust in God if I would have known what He knew. Might I suggest to you that “not knowing” allows us to draw closer to our heavenly Father.

The Bible does reveal everything we need to know to put our trust in Him, obey Him, serve Him, and grow in our faith. If we choose to disobey, it’s not because of a lack of knowledge…it’s an act of OUR will.

What are we without love?

1 Corinthians 13: 4 – 8 (MSG) I'm bankrupt without love. Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end. Love never dies.

I recently read 1 Corinthians in the Message and for some reason, the verses spoke to me differently from the other translations of the Bible. Early in my Christian walk, I read a devotional by one of my favorite pastor/authors, Max Lucado. After reading his devotion I have never again look at or read the words of 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 8 the same.

Before I get too far, I want to share the definition of the word "love" according to Nelson’s Compact Bible Dictionary.

Love – The highest esteem God has for His human children and the high regard which they, in turn, should have for Him and other people.

With this definition freshly in mind, I can go back and reread the verses again and my understanding of them takes on an entirely different meaning. 

“I am bankrupt without love.”

1 John 4:8 tells us that God is Love. So if we go back to the passage 1 Corinthians 13: 4 and replace the word “love” with God it reads

“I am bankrupt without God.”

Let's not stop there... take it one step further and make it personal, this time replace the word "I" with your first name:

“Sheri is bankrupt without God.” 

Well, how true is that? I have or can do absolutely nothing without God.

Deeper still, if I follow the teaching from Max Lucado and continue to read these verses in 1 Corinthians 13 by replacing the word LOVE with my own name it reads like this

"Sheri never gives up.”

WHOA! Stopping there I had to do a little self-assessment. I’m not sure about you, but there have been times that I've given up. Feeling utterly defeated, I have thrown my hands up in the air a time or two and said “Forget this! I can’t do this anymore.” But wait – didn’t we just say that God is love? Knowing this I can read it with confidence

"God never gives up."

So there is another way I can read this verse. Wait. I think it's important here to remembered the words of Philippians 4:13 (NIV) “I can do all things through Christ, because He gives me strength.” So now, with that in mind let’s read the words one last time,

“Sheri, through Christ, never gives up.”

Ok, now that sounds better to me wouldn’t you agree?

May I encourage you today to read these verses in 1 Corinthians 13 the way Max Lucado encouraged me to read them through his devotion. You may find yourself looking at circumstances in your own life and with others in a completely different light.

Does real and unconditional love exist?

Isaiah 54:20 (NCV) “The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end, but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the Lord who shows mercy to you.

I awoke this morning with the words of David Crowder’s song, “He Love Us,” playing in my head (see the verse and chorus at the end of this post). What a great way for me to start my day…even at 3:30 am. Not sure why God had me up at 3:30 this morning other than to spend some alone time with me and tell me He loves me. I so needed to hear those words from Him this morning – yes even when it’s the middle of the night to some. J

Think about it…the God of the universe…who put the stars in the sky, woke me up to say “I love you.” Truthfully, He loves you that much too. Do you believe it? It’s the truth…His word, the Bible, displays His love for us over and over throughout its chapters. I have included a few passages in Scripture to reference. When you’re feeling unloved by everyone, God loves you…today, tomorrow and in the future…without reservation, without condition, and without a doubt.

Psalm 136:1 (NCV) Give thanks to the Lord because he is good. His love continues forever.

Ephesians 3:18 (NCV) And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is.

The ultimate display of God’s love for us is found in the next three scripture passages:

Romans 5:8 (NCV) But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

1 John 4:10 (NCV) This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son to die in our place to take away our sins.

John 3:16 – 18 (MSG) “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.

Partial lyrics to David Crowder’s song:

He Loves Us

We are His portion and He is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes

If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking

Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest

I don't have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about, the way...

That He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves

The Love of Jesus Shines Through His People

Romans 13:8-10 (NCV) Do not owe people anything, except always owe love to each other, because the person who loves others has obeyed all the law. The law says, "You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not want to take your neighbor's things." All these commands and all others are really only one rule: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." Love never hurts a neighbor, so loving is obeying all the law. (emphasis mine)

When I read over Romans 13:8 this morning, my mind went back to the very first Sunday I walked through the doors at the church I currently attend. That morning, I was just trying to hide the fact that I had seen the bottom of the Jack Daniels bottle the night before but the people in the lobby of the church didn’t see that at all. They saw someone who was hurting and desperately in need of finding hope and healing. As my Dad introduced me to people he knew, they welcomed me like I was one of their own. Instead of a judging glance, they were full of warm smiles and hugs. I could feel the love just oozing out of them…and I must say it felt different. Never had I been to a church where I felt as loved as I did that morning and I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that these people didn’t even know me.

So why would a group of people open their arms in such a manner to a stranger? What is “love” anyway? Is it a feeling? No, it’s an action. It is something that we must do. We must love because God first loved us. John also wrote in 1 John (9-12 – MSG) that we are to love because God first loved us. He (God) showed us the measure of His love by sending his one and only son to die for our sin so that we might live through him. Jesus also commands us to love one another. John 13 verse 34 says “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

The men and women in the lobby that morning were so full of love for Jesus that it not only came out in the words they said, it poured out of them through their actions and in truth (1 John 3:18 MSG). I was blown away and I knew right then I wanted to get to that same place in my own life. A life of love instead of the guilt and shame that buried me in the pit I had been hiding in for years. 

There will always be weeds to pull

1 Samuel 16:7b (NCV) “God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Yesterday turned out to be gorgeous spring day. Not too cold, not too hot… it was absolutely beautiful. After returning home from church, I spent most of the day pulling up weeds and cleaning flower beds in our back yard. While working, I took the opportunity to talk to Jesus and ask him to reveal those things in my life that I needed to work on “cleaning out.”

Each year I feel like the task of cleaning up our back yard gets to be more and more of a challenge because it’s usually the last area we focus on. At the first sign of spring, my husband typically gets out in the front yard and makes sure the beds are nice and clean and all unwanted growth is cleared away. This process typically takes a few weekends to accomplish so by the time we get to the back yard, the weeds have taken over and it seems to take forever to see actual process.

I had just started working on my second flower bed when God revealed the words of 1 Samuel 16:7 to me. “God doesn’t look at what people can see… God looks at the heart.” [paraphrase mine] Just like my yard, many more people see the front as they drive or walk by, but only a few see the back. As I thought about this verse in 1 Samuel, I thought about what people saw when they looked at me. People see who I was on the outside. But God doesn’t look at that, He looks at my heart.

I had to ask myself the question “what does my inside look like?” Since God looks at the condition of my heart, does it match my actions (outside appearances)? When people look at me, can they see a reflection of Jesus? I certainly hope so. I do recognize it’s a continual process. Just like the flower beds each spring, there will always be “weeds to pull” in my life.  Yesterday I was reminded that being shaped by Jesus is a continual process. The more Jesus chips away at the things in my life that are not of Him, the “cleaner” I become.

Praise God that He is continually at work in us, weeding out the bad so the beauty of His handiwork can be revealed.