He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:
but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs 28:13
If we try to fix our sins, if we try to cover them,
we are not trusting the Lord to cleanse our sins and to forgive us.
That is what He’s wanting from us, for us to bring our failings before Him,
so that we can better serve Him.
If we take matters into our own hands
and try to brush away or make right what we have done that is wrong,
we are in effect, trying to cover our sins.
Zaccheus wanted to repay Jesus. Jesus did not correct him.
Zaccheus was not hiding his sin from the Lord.
in Luke 19, Zaccheus was grateful and out of worship to the Lord,
he wanted to give back what he had stolen or taken unfairly:
And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord;
Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor;
and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation,
I restore him fourfold. v8
And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house,
forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. v9
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. v10
There is a difference here:
from wanting to make right what you have done wrong as a form of worship and hiding sin from the Lord and not confessing it.
Zaccheus laid it out on the table before Jesus.
Jesus taught about this in His Sermon on the Mount:
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar,
and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way;
first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Matthew5:24
It is similar where Paul said, Owe no man any thing, but to love one another:
for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
So, as you go about your day,
consider bringing your faults before the Lord in candid honesty,
hiding nothing from Him.
If He reminds you of something you can do
to bring peace to a situation you may have ruined,
do so in honor to Him, in love and in faithfulness to Him.
Jesus will be very pleased as obedience is better than sacrifice.
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings
and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22