The darkness of the setting evening was made darker by the gathering clouds. In anticipation of the coming storm, the roads of the town wore a deserted look. The blowing wind increased the intensity of the cold. In these deteriorating conditions a monk was looking for a place to stay for the night and be safe. A voice broke the eerie silence and startled him with a query “Sir, are you looking for a place to stay? Would you like to stay with me in my house?” Before the monk could answer, the man said further, “Sir, it seems that you are a saint. I will not hide the truth from you, I am a thief. If this does not trouble you, you can stay at my home and bless me.” The monk was caught in a dilemma. He started to wonder within himself, “If I stay with this thief, what will happen to my reputation, what will the people think of me? On the other hand, if I don’t accept this invitation, what will happen to me in this cold inclement weather and?” Prudence lost to self-preservation, and with no other available option, he decided to go to the thief’s house for the night. The thief welcomed him very warm heartedly into his home and cared well for him. The monk started to wonder “This thief did not hide his actual state from me, but I have so many things hidden in my heart. Whatever he may be but this thief is not a hypocrite.” Eventually, he could not hold himself back and fell at the thief’s feet and said, “I am not actually what I appear to be; I am full of covetousness, vanity, hypocrisy. I am always anxious about what the people will think about me, but I am never bothered about what God thinks of me.”
Our condition from within is no different. Many dispense wisdom but do they follow that wisdom? There is no dearth of preachers but how many actually practice what they preach? God’s Word cautions us “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” “And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? (Romans 2:1, 3)”. Whether you accept it or not, this is the truth.
A very simple and straightforward fact is that one who is lost cannot guide others to the right way? Can a blind man show the way? Yet today there is no scarcity in this world of those who indulge in the pleasures of this world and teach renunciation to others. Personally, they are miles from the ways of God but yet teach the way to God to others. Every now and then such hypocrites are exposed and their deeds brought before the world, still many continue to follow such hypocrites nonchalantly, knowingly turning a blind eye to their hypocrisy.
Our ego keeps us from accepting our being a sinner. The only difference is that the sins of some are manifest while of others are hidden. It is natural to commit mistakes; wisdom lies in accepting those mistakes and apologizing for them. Knowingly hiding an error is hypocrisy, and deliberately justifying an error is sheer folly. God knows far more about you than you know about yourself.
People often wear two kinds of spectacles, one to see themselves and the other to see others with. The elderly often say that their times were times of honesty. But the fact of the matter is that these elderly people, born and brought up in those ‘times of honesty’ just put a veneer of honesty over their pretensions. So many of these ‘honest’ elders, with thick spectacles and roving eyes, hunger for a glimpse of nudity in the newspapers, magazines, roadside advertisements, TV shows and movies. In some way or the other we all live with one kind of duplicity or the other in our lives. There are people for whom we may have a smile on our face but damnation in our hearts, the subordinate may salute the superior out of compulsion, not respect. The heart is full of deceit.
When problems do not end, a person tries to end himself. He does not understand that the problems are not because of circumstances but because of sin. By giving up this life, one can only get rid of this body, not the sin – the problem of which will continue with him even after death. If you have to be delivered, it has to be deliverance from sin.
Problems are there, but what is the root of these problems? The basic problem is that we have failed to understand the actual problem. All we know is that there are problems, before one is sorted out, the next one pops up. There seems to be no end to them. But the actual fact is that there is only one problem in this life – sin. All the other problems are because of this one problem. This fundamental fact has not been grasped by man till today.
The poor wonders what to eat to overcome his hunger; the rich wonders how to stimulate his hunger? Both have their own set of worries and problems. There is no one who has no problems, neither rich nor poor, neither literate nor illiterate, neither one with a high status nor that of a low status, neither one from a ‘western’ culture nor one from any other culture. Every person in every nation, of every caste and creed has some problem or the other, and is looking for deliverance from it, but knowingly refuses to accept his sin. With a blindfold of pride over their eyes, they are like a blind man in a dark well groping around for a way out, they keep groping and searching but obstinately refuse to take away the blindfold of their pride and look upwards for the way out.
The question is not about the quantity or quality of sin, but of the presence of sin – is it present or not. God’s Word says in Ecclesiastes 7:20 “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” He is not talking about the wicked but about the just – the righteous.
Converting from one religion to the other does not solve the problem of sin. What is required is a change of heart, true repentance, not a change of religion.
Life is like a game, without any warning one could be declared ‘out’ no one knows when or how. Sometimes this happens at such a short notice that there is no time to even think about it. Who knows when the heavenly umpire will hold up His finger for you and you will be carried out. Most of those called to leave go out with a sad face, very few do so joyfully with hands lifted up in praise. What do you have to say about yourself? If the unexpected happens, how will you go – with sadness or praise? Have you ever thought that when you have to go, where will you go? The fact is that every lost soul will go into eternal loss. The heavenly umpire with His finger has shown you your actual condition and the direction you are headed in. His finger does not just point out your sin but even the consequences of that sin and also shows you the way out of that outcome.
Now all you need to do is to open the door of your heart. The light of the sun of righteousness is waiting at your heart’s door, the moment you open the door, in a flash it will enter and eliminate all darkness. The Lord Jesus came to free you from your sins, that is why He calls all those who are tired and despondent because of their sins, don’t despair, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28, 29).
Now in these last lines I will conclude with one last thought from the depths of my heart. My heart yearns that these may not just remain words from the pen onto the paper but be engraved on your hearts. I urge you to believe from your heart and with your mouth, in a short prayer say two things. First accept; second ask. Accept your being a sinner and ask forgiveness for those sins. Say to the Lord Jesus “O Lord Jesus, I am a sinner, restless and troubled because of my sins, have mercy upon me and forgive my sins। Come and reside in my heart, cleanse and purify me with your blood.
This prayer has the power to give you a life to live in a way you never even dreamed was possible. Give it a chance, pray the prayer with a true heart and see how it transforms you, lifts you…
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