DEVOTION
The Cover Up
By Cathy Irvin
Staff Writer
CBN.com
- I really don't think someone would deliberately plant
poisonous plants in the yard; however, my yard has poisonous plants
in different areas. How did they get there? I have no answer.
I certainly did not plant them. Occasionally, those unfriendly
weeds appear in the ivy.
Recently, as I was cleaning my yard, I must have brushed up against
those weeds. After gathering all the weeds I had pulled from the
garden and bundling them up, I did not notice anything right away,
but soon I was itchy. I dismissed it as a slight reaction to grass
or weeds. I took a shower and went about my business.
The next day a small rash appeared on my left arm. I thought
perhaps something had bitten me in the night. Again, I ignored
the itching. It continued to spread, and it was a week before
I went to the pharmacist. He said I had poison ivy or poison oak
and suggested a cream that would relieve the itching.
Sometimes there are things in our lives that we choose to cover
up instead of getting to the real root of the problem. The medication
I purchased at the drug store helped the itching, but the rash
was spreading like wildfire. My left arm was covered with the
rash, and the rash had spread to my right arm. After two weeks,
I went to the doctor. He prescribed steroids to break up the poison
oak. No more cover up!
I believe when we have sin in our lives, we brush it off, excuse
it as nothing, try to dismiss it, and cover it up. Sin cannot
be ignored. If left unattended, it gets worse and the danger that
our heart may harden increases. At the first sign that we are
doing something wrong, we may sense a nudge from the Holy Spirit
(like the constant itching). It is time to check out the problem.
We must see the spiritual condition of our hearts. Are our hearts
right? Do we have something poisoning our spirits or our minds?
The Bible says:
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond
cure. Who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and
examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve" (Jeremiah 17:9-10,
NIV).
I had my son cut away the poison oak, killing it at its root.
Like that poison oak, we must also deal with sin by getting to
the root and destroying its effects on our lives.
The Lord never covers up our sins. He exposes them, and brings
them to the surface and into the light. Then we can see them,
turn to Him, repent, and be cleansed.
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