Double Trouble (Part 1)

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:1-6, 23-24; Hebrews 4:13-16

“Okay, remember the plan,” Zeke told his twin brother Kole as they traded sweatshirts in the bathroom. “Try not to talk to anyone before the test. Once the tests are finished it’ll be lunchtime and we can meet back here to trade our sweatshirts back.”

Kole nodded as he combed his fingers through his hair to get it to look more like Zeke’s. They were in different classes at school, and Kole was going to take the English test in Zeke’s class while Zeke took the math test in his. “I sure hope no one notices I’m not you,” said Kole. “If I had to take that math test, I’d flunk it!”

“Yeah, and I hate English,” said Zeke. “All that writing!”

Kole walked into his brother’s classroom just as the bell rang. Mr. Edwards handed out the test, and Kole got to work.

Everything went smoothly until someone knocked on the door. Mr. Edwards cracked it open and, after a few whispers, turned toward the class. “Zeke, your mom is here with your lunch. You can go with her and put it in your locker.”

Kole broke out in a cold sweat. He trudged over to the door, and the moment Mom saw him, it was obvious she knew he wasn’t Zeke.

Kole stepped into the hall and shut the door behind him. Mom was furious.

“What’s going on?” she hissed. “Why are you pretending to be Zeke?”

Kole couldn’t look her in the eye. “We switched places so I could take his English test and he could take my math test.”

Mom stared at him. “Well, you may have fooled your teachers and classmates, but you didn’t fool me—I know you too well. And aren’t you forgetting someone who knows you even better than I do?”

“Umm…” stammered Kole. “You mean God, don’t you?”

Mom nodded. “The Bible says He knows the number of hairs on your head—and everything that’s in your heart. You can’t hide anything from Him.”

Kole shuffled his feet. “I guess Zeke and I didn’t think of that.”

“I guess not,” said Mom. “But I hope you’ll remember it from now on. Jesus knows everything about you, and He loves you and promises to forgive your wrongs. We can always be honest with Him—and trust Him to help us be honest with others too.”

– Courtney Lasater

How About You?

Have you ever thought you could get away with something without anyone knowing? Even if you managed to hide it from other people, you can’t hide anything from God—He sees everything you do and knows everything in your heart and mind. Don’t try to hide anything from Him. Instead, tell Jesus what you’ve done and ask Him to forgive you. He knows you and loves you, and He promises to forgive.

Today’s Key Verse:
Proverbs 28:13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

You can’t hide anything from God