Throughout my life of fun, folly and fallacies I've told and heard many secrets. Some true and some a little too zany to sound accurate but told nonetheless.
A lot of the times in my skateboarding teen years, our crew told secrets more in the form of gossip or slander. We seemed to enjoy the depth of humiliation caused to someone as we spread around the tales of their maladies or misfortunes. We’d go on about how crappy somebody's board was or a party we went to, and so-and-so hooked up with so and so. Those were my years to soothe my suffering self-esteem by the grim mechanism of heaping it on others. How did we learn this horrid psychology? We all did it and it seemed commonplace. My accountability to God was hidden in my heart. I still heard him talking to me but I chose to not listen.
James 3:8
But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
1 Timothy 5:13
Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not
When I rolled up kids would sit down and watch me rip up the bowl. I was 17 and in some type of tainted prime period. Believe me I used this god-given talent in the enemies form of pride. It was a deformity of untruthful happiness. My pillow at night didn't seem very soft or comforting after a day of conceited socializing. It was Christ, my God and Father, letting me know the truth of these secrets... I heard the clear words...
"Dennis, that's not that's not nice, these things that you're doing."
I didn't understand. I was fearful of the obvious things I felt and saw. I knew it was the spiritual warfare that was waging in my heart.
Collosians 1:26-27
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
I lived my days at the skatepark in a secret mode always. Confident but not, brave but scared, talented yet selfishly prideful. My lust for acceptance kept me from confessing my true knowledge of the source of anything good in me. IIt was the secret I kept to myself . Timid and ashamed to share.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek
I knew Christ from youth. I fell into his arms as a struggling child, and he walked through my childhood with me making sure I didn't stumble and fall harshly. Now I kept it a secret but I had no problem sharing or hurtful story or two about others who Christ commanded that I love instead of hurting. I had become vain, self-seeking and drifting aimlessly in ignorance of the truth that I always knew from youth.
The secret I should have been telling is this
Collosians 1:26-29
This message was kept secret for centuries in Generations past but now it has been revealed to God's people for god wanted them to know the riches and glory of Christ, for everyone this is the secret Christ Lives in You amen period
This was the secret I cherished most, yet I foolishly kept hidden. Oh my lord in heaven how I hoped and wished I had served you better in those days when there was alot of focus on me. It was he who was speaking to me through my pillow at night, constantly trying to correct me. He was assuring me that this unloving attitude of life was the very source of what made me sad when the set down.
These days I am known quite well as the weird guy who loves everyone. Who will do anything for anyone and when I am mean to even the meanest of people, I listened immediately to the loving, disciplinary voice of Christ telling me to make amends to that person in that situation.
Luke 6:32
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.
In the early years of my Bible studies, I admit these were tough scriptures to understand. Why keep it a secret. What is the purpose of such a complicated plan of salvation. I understand today God's wonderful timing in every life. This is the secret I want to tell you today, whether at the skatepark, at work, at a detox, or in the grocery store.
I've got a secret to tell you. Christ lives in you and the love and light shines brighter than anything the world has ever given me. The only light that has ever helped me to see clearly and I'm grateful to share this with you.
God bless you all.
Colossians 2:3
In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
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