Clean Up Before They Catch Up!

I Timothy 5:24
The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them, the sins of others trail behind them.

It's human nature to give all of our attention is those who are exposed to misdeeds. We love public spectacles of important people whose sins are displayed in tragic details. It almost makes us feel better about ourselves because, ‘if they are that bad at least I’m not.’ It’s a false sense of temporary righteousness. It’s like the story Jesus told of the sinner and the Pharisee:

Luke 18: 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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In comparison to people whose sins are obvious we who have sins that trail behind us always look good in our own eyes.

Paul admonishes young Timothy that the sins of some men are obvious and reach the place of Judgment ahead of them but the sins of others trail behind them. Eventually, all sin leads to Judgment unless we take heed to warning that comes before destruction. God gives us time to get ourselves together.

We need to Clean up before our sins catch up:

1. Confess. If we confess our sins he’s faithful to forgive us of our sins.
2. Clean up your mess. Zacchaeus told Jesus that if he had wronged anybody or taken anything he would pay back four times the amount. We have to make amends for what we’ve done wrong.

3. Change your behavior. We must show fruits of repentance. It’s not enough to say I’m sorry you must show in your actions that your heart has been changed.

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me time to get myself together. Thank you for forgiveness of my sins through the sacrifice of Jesus. Help me to practice forgiveness and not join the “Peanut Gallery” in condemning those who are exposed. Instead of looking down on the condemned help me to lift someone up who’s fallen, knowing it could have been me. Thank you for Grace, its Amazing!

In Jesus Name,
Amen

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[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Lk 18:9-14