S2 E27 - They Forgot About the Monitor

My son did not like the idea that it was naptime today. He kept getting out of bed and we kept having to put him back in. At one point, he ran to his sisters room and got on her bed. As I walked down the hall, Ava yells "Oh, quick, hide!" and they ducked under the covers, as though I wouldn't see them there. After putting him back in bed, this continued, but each time we were aware because we were watching on the monitor. Well...we might laugh at this, but we are just like this with the Lord. We think that we can get away with things, that as though because we've fooled others that we'll fool God. But here is no fooling God, he knows and understands who we truly are, no matter how good we are at trying to hide it. 

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Transcript

Hey everybody, and welcome back to the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! I’m your host BJ Sipe – I’m a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. In this podcast we take everyday, ordinary events and explore how they can teach us extraordinary, eternal truths. I’m so glad that you joined me for this episode. Now, let’s open up our minds, our hearts, and our Bible’s together. 

I have some other stories from over the past few months that I still want to share, but something actually happened on my way back out the door today that I just had to share. As we are getting back into our routine, I was finally able to make it to racquetball today for the first time in a very long time – and trust me, I’m gonna feel it later. Anyhow, I needed to run a quick errand after our game before heading home to get cleaned up and then head into the office to finish up my work day. As I walked in the door, I could tell that nap time was not going well with our children – our son Dane in particular. So Dane turned 2 a few weeks ago, which is so hard to believe, but that whole stereotype about the terrible 2’s he is doing his absolute best to affirm as of late. As I walked in the door, I could hear him screaming from his room because he didn’t want to nap. Kylie told me that he has apparently already gotten out of bed multiple times, and had to be put back in. As we were talking about him, sure enough, we hear his door and little feet scampering down the hall toward his sister’s room to go play. I go in to retrieve him when I hear Ava say the funniest thing, “Oh, quick, hide!” and pull the covers over herself and her brother. I had to do my absolute best to not laugh as I entered the room. Sometimes I wonder how stupid our children think we are – as though I would be absolutely stumped as to where they went while looking at two big bulges under the big white comforter. There was some brief, stern discipline and I put Dane back in his bed and told him not to get up. I went back to my room and started to get cleaned up, when no more than five minutes later – you guessed it – he was back up again, peeking out of his door. He couldn’t see us, but of course we could see his every action on the monitor. I walked back in and put him back in bed as he protested with many screams and tears, and then went back to get my shoes on. As I put them on, Kylie and I watched on the monitor – and we could see him contemplating making another escape. First he sits up and looks at the door…then looks around…then slowly stands up, continuing to look around, before getting a leg up and over the rail on his bed to climb out. At this point I had made so many trips back and forth across the house that I probably could have skipped racquetball all together and still gotten my workout in. This final time I was as stern with him as I have probably ever been, told him I loved him, but explained there would be much more severe consequences if he got out of bed again. I am sure that many of you tuning in who are parents are laughing your heads off about right now because you can relate, you’ve been there and done that before or are currently in the same phase of life yourselves. On my drive into my office, I couldn’t help but laugh as I thought about Ava going “Oh, quick, hide!” as I walked into the room, or Dane thinking we had no idea when he was trying to sneak out of bed again. I mean, they know we’re watching, and yet somehow they still think they can sneak one past us or that we’re not going to notice. Newsflash kiddos – your mommy & daddy are like Santa Clause – we see you when you’re sleeping, and we know when you’re awake, we know if you’ve been bad or good – so you’d better be good for goodness sake. 

As is the case frequently in our home, my children are constantly teaching me through their actions, both good and bad. But not only are they teaching me about how to be a better father, but without even realizing it they are teaching me about the ways in which we as God’s children often act. From the very beginning of mankind, we try to sweep our sins and wrongdoings under the rug, don’t we? We do not want to draw attention to our mistakes, so we hide them from others, but even worse we somehow think that we can hide them from God. Isn’t this exactly what happened in the garden with Adam & Eve? After eating of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil that was forbidden, when they heard the sound of God walking in the garden, you know what they did? That’s right, they hid. Like my daughter hearing me walking down the hallway and thinking I wouldn’t see them under her comforter, they ducked behind a bush assuming they could dodge God altogether. Reading this story you might think to yourself, “how could they have been so stupid?” but in actuality, we are just as foolish in our lives. Consider with me a few things as we make application to ourselves today. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns us that there are many who believe that they can somehow fool God on the day of judgment. Jesus taught and said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23) On the day of judgment, they call attention to all of the wonderful and good deeds that they had done in their life. They expect God to have taken notice of things they believed to have been right & godly, and so reward them as though they somehow had “earned” their salvation. But notice the text – there were many other things present in their lives that God had also taken notice of. Jesus clearly teaches that such individuals had great immorality present in their lives, and that they had not truly obeyed the voice of the Lord or done his will in their life. This would not have been a secret to them, and yet in their defense, they act as though this was unknown to God – as though he would not have taken notice. My friends, do we act in the same way? Do we arrogantly assume that God takes notice of the good deeds that we participate in, and that these somehow cover up or overshadow our continuation of sin in our lives? God sees it all, in fact he knows our very thoughts and intentions of our heart. There is nothing that can be hidden from him. This is what Paul teaches as well in Galatians 6:6-8, “Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher. Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” There is no “hiding from God” or getting away with something. This is a spiritual truth that you can take to the bank: you will reap what you sow. Perhaps in your life you have become a master of deception and covering your tracks. Perhaps you have everyone fooled into thinking you are some kind of righteous and godly person – your church family, your spouse, your children, your coworkers, and many more. Perhaps when your time comes and you pass away, not one bad thing could be said about you from anyone that attends the funeral of someone they are convinced was a true Christian. You can deceive the whole world…but you cannot deceive God. It matters not one bit what anyone else on this earth thinks or says about you, it only matters what the Lord says and thinks. If you’ve been harboring secret sin in your life, the longer you do it the harder it’s going to be to ever deal with it. It’s time to come clean. It’s time to recognize that God sees you for who you truly are, and it’s time to make your life right with God. Let’s conclude with Proverbs 5:21, “For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes, and he considers all his paths.” 

Thank you for tuning in to today’s episode, and I would invite you back Tuesdays-Fridays for a brand-new episode each day. If you haven’t already, be sure to find us on Facebook for occasional announcements and special video sessions. If you have benefited from this podcast, please if you’re able be sure to share it with someone else that you think could benefit from it as well. Until next time, know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each & every day set our minds above.