Open Secrets

What if all your secrets were made public? What would you do?

That’s the dilemma facing the United States government and many other countries in the wake of the Wikileaks scandal. More than a quarter of a million classified and top-secret documents have been made public on the Internet. And what they reveal is embarrassing.

The secrets and dishonesty of governments are now in the open. Trust was the first casualty.

Then, on the heels of an international scandal comes a more personal one. In a series called “What They Know,” the Wall Street Journal reports that companies are keeping track of our online activities through sophisticated tracking technology.

Your name, email address, Facebook ID, Google searches and web sites you visit are all being recorded. --And you thought your secrets were safe. So did the government.

It’s amazing what people will do and say if they think no one will find out about it. But now it turns out that no secret is safe.

“Now hold on just a minute! How should we live in a world where even the most classified secrets can be leaked and our personal secrets may no longer be private?”

In a word – with honesty. Out in the open. If you have no secrets, none can be ‘leaked.’

With our sense of sophisticated superiority, we convince ourselves that ‘little white lies’ and smooth talk will fool others. But even if we completely succeeded (which is unlikely), we cannot fool God.

The Bible warns us, “Be sure that your sin will find you out.”

Jesus added, “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”

It almost sounds like Jesus was predicting Wikileaks! And maybe, in a way, he was.

God wants us to know that he’s aware of all our secrets. Even if we succeed in fooling others, the Bible says that one day we will all stand before God and give an account of our lives to him.

Now that’s a frightening thought. Every motive, every thought, every action will be out in the open. The Bible warns us that we will be held accountable for every idle word we speak.

Once the truth is out, there will be no doubt in our mind what we have coming. Like the prophet Isaiah we will cry out, “Woe is me!” Or to put it more modernly, “I’m doomed!”

There will be no lawyer to argue your case. Just you, God and the truth.

What’s the solution? We need a savior, someone to forgive us and fix our brokenness.

As Isaiah discovered, God will forgive our sinful self-centeredness. And the Bible says you can find forgiveness and a fresh start through faith in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection for us.

Pick up a Bible and read about it in the New Testament Gospel of John.

Then, when you find yourself standing before God, Jesus will come to your defense. He will claim you as one of his own and that your sins are forgiven because of your faith in him.

Once that’s cared for, you can begin living openly with no secrets—no matter how others may live. And you will discover that there’s great freedom in honest living. Not only does it provide you with a clear conscience, it will completely transform your business dealings.

People will discover that your word is your bond. You can be trusted.

Imagine a society based on deliberate honesty. There wouldn’t be much work for lawyers!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!