by Rev Douglas Brauner

The importance of coming clean before God.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest.” 
Galatians 6:7 God’s Word to the Nations

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Fog changes the way we see things.

I’ve taken many pictures in the Garden of the Gods…some when the sun fills the blue Colorado sky, and others when thunderstorms come rolling into the park.

Fog, though, is rare!

This picture is of North Gate Rock, with what’s known as the Kissing Camels on top. The fog fools us into seeing something different than the Kissing Camels.

How often do we think that a different kind of fog will change the way that God sees us…fooling him into thinking that we are something different from what we really are? There is this pervasive thought in Christendom that God only accepts people who look, and act, a certain way. That’s what the religious leaders did in Jesus’ day, prompting him to call them hypocrites.

Paul reminds us that we can not make of fool of God even on April Fools Day.

• If we sow anger we can expect to reap anger.
• If we sow distrust we can expect to reap distrust.
• If we sow bitterness we can expect to reap bitterness.

No matter how much energy we put into looking different, God can not be fooled.

That’s a good thing.

Forgiveness is more powerful than thinking we can fool God. We don’t have to try to be something that we’re not. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t work on our bad behavior, or that we shouldn’t change. Change is a work of the Holy Spirit, and it begins when we come clean before God.

On this April Fools Day…let’s spend time with God confessing our attempts to cover up our sin, and receiving his mercy that flows from Christ’s cross.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado