Skip to main content

Secrets to Die For

"The principle object of God's eye is the inward and secret frame of the soul: labor, therefore, to be cleansed from secret sins."

'If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.' Psalm 66:18

'Behold, you delight in truth inthe inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.' Psalm 51:6

"Therefore He is often said in Scripture to 'search the heart and reins,' which intimates His special observation of the secret frame. It is true that God gives charge against open sins. Why? Because He would not have any to be profane; and so He gives singular charge against secret sins. Why? Because He cannot endure any to be hypocritical. The man is to God what his inside is. If you work wickedness in your heart, God will destroy you. Plaster your visible part with all sorts of pious expressions: if yet you can set up a form of sinning within, you are notable hypocrites. The Lord sees you to be false and rotten, and He will discharge Himself of you." - Obadiah Sedgwick


I pitched a public tantrum in my blog the other day. I lost sight of the need to measure my responses and repent before typing. I let my fingers remove all doubt of the sinfulness of my heart. Of all the sins I tend to ignore, the sin of bitter disappointment (presumptively expecting better than what I have and pitching a pity party when I don't get it) seems to be most prevalent. No amount of B12 will fix a sinful heart. It makes it easier for me to control my temper when my body has sufficient B12 but it is my responsibility to exercise self-control no matter what level of B12 I have. Humbly, I ask you to forgive my childish outbursts.

I believe you're as healthy as the secrets you keep. It's no secret, I am a sinner.


Comments

Carla Rolfe said…
I didn't see your tantrum, just an honest expression of exasperration. I think we'd all be lying through our teeth if we didn't admit to feeling like that on a regular basis.

In any event...

((((((( you ))))))
jackie said…
Rosemarie- from one rotten sinner to another...thank you for your honesty, and thank you for your openness and willingness to repent. I pray you are feeling better physically. Spiritually, you seem to be doing fine. :)

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritual Aphasia aka Senseless Theology

I was recently asked why I read theology and follow theological debates. "It's all just words and opinions." Words. Words on a paper, words on a blog. Words that travel invisibly through our airwaves and our minds. What would our inner monologue consist of without words? Harsh words, gentle words, untrue words, and solid you-can-die-behind them words. They have secret lives in the depths of our souls. They overflow in torrents of grief and joy. They seep out of our character flaws, wearing down the weak convictions that hold them back until they contaminate all those around us. All of us are stained within and without by the raw sewage of unkind words. Our souls are in jeopardy for want of The Word. Jesus Christ. The Gospel. The Good News. Words matter. Doctrine matters. Theology Matters. What you win them with is what you win them to. I study theology because I was lost too long in a world that scrambles truth with its own ideas and preferences. I was fed a diet of tosse

Super Church a song for the Emergent-sy

In the early 70s I was in a youth choir at my church. Our youth pastor was a musician and his way of connecting with us as a group was through the choir and music. Somehow there was an affiliation between him and The Continental Singers, New Hope and Jeremiah People. He was worked with Moishe Rosen of Jews for Jesus too, I think. Are any of these names familiar to you? Though I remember the church fondly I was a profoundly lost and troubled young woman during my years there. That and time have muddled the memories quite a bit. Today I was digging through some old paperwork and one of the books to the musical we did. It's Getting Late For the Great Planet Earth, a folk rock oratorio by Cam Floria. Yes, that's right. Cam Floria put Hal Lindsey to music. There's a lot to laugh about and some to groan about but as I was looking through the songs and remembering, I found this little ditty and I only wish I could sing it for you. Just remember that this is circa 1972 and even th

What if.....

...what if I just need a place to let some words spill out? What if they spill out in bouquets of bright colors and pleasing scents but their frames are made of snakes and lies? Will you the reader be able to tell? Will it matter? When words smell like lilacs and honeysuckle do you care what lies beneath them? Perfumed syllables cover the stench of hope's decay. A violet or two will fool most surface dwellers, allowing them to pass by quickly and unaware.  Is that what words are supposed to do? What if my aesthetics with words are similar to Morticia Addams' with flowers?  What happens when luscious blooms are discarded?  When the ragged silhouette of thorns is all that remains will you still see the beauty?  Perhaps we'll find out.