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It's One or The Other

I've been thinking about Psalm 139 the past few days.

At the end of acknowledging that God knows all about him, David expresses a desire for more.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life. ~Psalm 139:23-24

It is one matter to discover everything God knows about us. But it is another matter entirely to respond as David does, baring his soul for a complete and thorough check. This is so much more than the dentist finding out you don’t floss regularly or the doctor finding out your cookie intake exceeds any amount of exercise you tell people you participate in. This is more than the teacher finding out what you have been working on all semester. It is even more than your parent finding where you hide things when you ‘clean’ your room.

This is God.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. ~Hebrews 4:13

When Jesus said,
“For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all” (Luke 8:17). 
He meant it.

If we thought this was less than true, then what exactly have we been praying during our communion services? One prayer reads like this;

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the presence of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You and glorify Your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Either we believe this stuff or we don’t. Either we will actually choose to live this life by faith in God or we will live it based on what we can accomplish. Either we will accept that God knows us and accept all of the necessary conclusions that come with that knowledge. Or we won’t.

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