Devotion for the week...
Have you ever been shocked when you heard that someone had an affair, or that a couple were splitting up, when you thought they were happy together? I have been, more than once. I remember saying to Paul, after hearing about one that was especially shocking to me, that it just goes to show we never really know what's going on in someone else's house.
I thought of that recently when I read 1 Timothy 5:24-25: "Remember, the sins of some people are obvious, leading them to certain judgment. But there are others whose sins will not be revealed until later. In the same way, the good deeds of some people are obvious. And the good deeds done in secret will someday come to light." Just as we don't always know what happens in another couple's marriage, we also don't always know what another person is really doing.
Some people look good from the outside, but inside they're full of stuff they're hiding from the world. They know how to maintain a good image and hide who they really are. Jesus said the religious leaders of His day were like this. "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity" (Matthew 23:27). Those are harsh words, especially considering they were directed at people who were supposedly living for God.
On the flip side, some people look like regular people, just doing their best to take care of themselves and their families, while they're really taking care of much more than that. They don't flaunt the ways they help others, but they're always doing what they can. Whether it's large financial contributions to important causes, meals taken to people who are sick, sending encouraging notes or texts, or visits to people who are lonely, there's no end to the possible good deeds being done by people who aren't looking for credit for what they do. These people have taken to heart what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: "Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you" (Matthew 6:4).
Two things stand out to me as I think about these different types of people. First is that God won't be surprised when the hidden things are revealed. He already knows the hidden sins and the hidden good deeds. Though the world at large doesn't see, He does. "O Lord, you have examined my heart / and know everything about me. / You know when I sit down or stand up. / You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. / You see me when I travel / and when I rest at home. / You know everything I do. / You know what I am going to say / even before I say it, Lord" (Psalm 139:1-4).
The second thing that stands out to me is a simple question: What is hidden behind the image everyone sees of me?