JANUARY 26 | The Sin Revealer

SCRIPTURE READING: Hebrews 4:12–16
KEY VERSE: Psalm 77:12

       I will also meditate on all Your work,
       And talk of Your deeds.

Oscar Wilde’s classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is a chilling exploration of what happens when a person refuses to deal with the sin inside his heart.
In this fantasy tale, the handsome character Dorian commissions a portrait of himself that will capture his good looks. He is so captivated by this picture that he makes a wish—he wants to stay young forever and let the picture “grow old” in his place.
Dorian gets his wish and then uses his youth and attractiveness to fulfill his desires. His motives are self-seeking, vain, and greedy in everything he does. As the years pass, Dorian periodically checks the picture in his back room.
Not only is his face growing old; it becomes gnarled and vicious. Dorian is so ashamed that he covers the picture and refuses to let anyone look at it. The picture has become a horrifying portrait of his soul!
Even though Oscar Wilde did not profess to be a Christian, he understood the effects of sin run rampant. Dorian’s picture was his sin revealer, even as God’s Word is the instrument of conviction in your life.
When you meditate on Scripture and feel the tug of His Word on your heart, pay attention. God is urging you to confess your sin and experience the renewing power of forgiveness in Christ.

Reveal my sins, O Lord, so I can deal with them. Show me what is really in my heart.

Stanley, C. F. (2000). Into His presence (p. 27). Thomas Nelson Publishers.