When I was a kid, I can remember getting a new basketball for my birthday one year. It was just what I wanted and had asked for. After taking it out of the box, I took my time just looking at it. It felt good in my hands and of course it had that indescribable "new" smell. As I continued to inspect the latest addition to my sporting goods collection, I noticed these words stamped on the ball: Genuine-Imitation Leather. I thought about those words, but only for a moment, and quickly headed outside to try it out.Genuine-Imitation is what we would call an oxymoron, defined as a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. You know, like jumbo-shrimp and awfully-good. Words that kind of make you stop and think, say what? Now let's look at the word genuine. A good dictionary would define genuine as authentic or real. An imitation of course is a copy, a fake or a counterfeit of the real thing. So the question that must be asked is, "How can you have a Real-Fake?"

Isn't it amazing how easy it is to be a Genuine-Imitation or a Real-Fake in our faith and especially when it comes to sin. I am the "master" of hiding things that would put me in a negative light. While I take no delight in doing this, I know I'm only one member in a very large club. We are all good at it! Now let's be honest with ourselves, our sin will find us out. God will find a way to bring it to the surface and into the light, He always does. As a dad, I often told my sons as they left the house to make" good choices", but sometimes they didn't. There were times they confessed that to me and others when they didn't. Life was always a little smoother in our home when things were out in the open rather than being hidden in the dark. That's the way it works in our relationship with God, our Father. There will be no blessings for us when we try to hide our sins from God. However, when we confess them to Him not only are they forgiven, they are forgotten. God wants to bless us. Is there something you are hiding today, give it to God.

"Heavenly Father, thank you for being a God of mercy. Forgive me for the times I try to hide things from You. Help me to understand just how much You love me and want to bless my life. Guide me in making my life before You and others genuine and real. AMEN."