Camera Ready

My wife and I had just visited her father and we were driving on this busy Interstate that's right near a large city. Suddenly everyone was coming to a complete stop, and we immediately thought, "Oh, there's got to be an accident, or maybe it could be construction."

Well, my wife was driving, and as we inch along we see that there is a road block ahead that was stopping everything. A man with a hard hat stuck his head in the window and began asking questions. "Where did you begin your journey today? How long have you been driving? Where are you headed?" My wife said, "What's this for?" He replied, "Oh, we're just taking a survey here to see if we need to widen the road."

So, they are stopping the busiest highway in the area to do a survey as the traffic is backing up behind us? My wife then notices this video camera filming the conversation with Mr. Hard Hat, and a woman with a microphone in her hand. And she saw the letters on the microphone. We've got a TV anchor woman here. And suddenly my wife began to think, what any of us would think if we suddenly saw a TV camera filming us, "Oh, what do I look like?" Well, that morning we had hurried to get started on a long drive, so no makeup, no hair grooming, kind of crummy travel clothes. As we pulled away, my wife pulled down the visor mirror and she said, "Is that what they saw?" Well, you never know when folks are going to be seeing you.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Camera Ready."

Here's our word for today from the Word of God from John chapter 3, beginning at verse 19, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men love darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been through God."

Now, this verse makes me think about people who have one of life's great freedoms-nothing to hide. "I've got nothing to hide. Stop me any time. I'm living in the light. I don't care what's exposed. Roll the film, roll the tape. I don't fear discovery." See, that's a great way to live isn't it? I mean, you never know when someone will be watching, as my wife discovered on that busy Interstate that day.You can be sure that God's tape is rolling on every conversation you have, no matter how secret you think it is. His camera is rolling on every activity, no matter how alone you may think you are, and usually people find out too. The Bible says, "Be sure your sin will find you out." It's often not right away, but at a later time when the disclosure can do the greatest damage to your family, or your ministry, or to your representation of Christ.

It's a good idea to never leave home without making sure you look okay inside. Each new day, why don't we deal with the attitudes that we don't want recorded that day, the compromises, the selfish way we get things done, that runaway mouth that keeps hurting people, the immoral thoughts, the sins that beat you yesterday. Repentance is what makes you a camera-ready person who's got nothing to hide."Hey, I've confessed it to Jesus. I've let Him clean me up today." And repentance honestly should be a regular part of getting dressed spiritually every morning. It just feels so good to know you can welcome the light; you can welcome exposure. You don't need to hide in a dark corner because somebody might find out.

Maybe God is using our visit today to speak to you about some dark secret. Would you listen to His voice? It's not mine; it's His. Come clean with Jesus about it today, and then you'll have no fear of any film or any tape on earth.

By the way, the Bible says that when Jesus comes and when we stand before Him that "all men's secrets will be revealed." And we will be judged based on the things that were in the dark. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have all that erased from God's Book so you would never meet them on Judgment Day? There's one person who can do that; the man who died to make it happen. That would be Jesus. The day you say, "Jesus, I'm Yours" is the day that every sin of your life is forgiven forever.

This could be that day. I'd love to help you know how to make that happen. Would you visit our website? It's ANewStory.com. Let's get this done. The cameras are rolling in heaven and they're rolling on earth, in public or in private. So always provide a picture that you can be proud of.