Sweetly Secret

"Stolen water is sweet,

and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

Proverbs 9:17

No one will ever know.

What a titillating little phrase that is. The idea that you could do something fun, something satisfying, something adventurous--and even though it's also wrong, you would get away with it because no one would ever know.

When you're alone in the dark, and no one else is with you.

When you're a hundred miles from home (or a thousand, or halfway around the world), and no one there knows you.

When you're with a bunch of people doing the same thing, and no one would notice or even care.

When you're sure no one is watching.

And besides, just a little bit won't hurt. Just a little taste, a little glimpse, a little touch. It's in moderation, right? And who's it going to hurt? It's so sweet, so pleasant, so fulfilling...for a moment. And then it's done, it's over with, and satisfaction of the moment fades away leaving you feeling empty and guilty and yes, completely alone. Even God doesn't want to be with you at that moment. For even though no one was around, no one was watching, no one may ever know...God was there, watching, and He knows.

What the one who eats the forbidden fruit doesn't know but needs to, is that the sweetness of the moment can be followed the bitterness of an eternity separated from God. God authored a code of righteousness that when followed will be completely rewarding; His blessings make you rich and add no sorrow with it! But when we choose to live outside that code of righteousness, we need to confess our mistake, beg His forgiveness, and get back to the way we know we should be living...or else suffer the consequences of our actions.