Do you ever wonder what kinds of critters invade your yard once darkness settles in?

My wife, Diana, has found a new source of entertainment by scanning the overnight footage of our recently installed security camera. Even in winter, you'd expect to see birds and squirrels. But the camera also captured the image of a fox in our yard on two consecutive occasions.

The first visit was at 2:30 am. The next night, he came much earlier—10:16 pm. But in both cases, his (her?) bushy tail made a strong statement against the blanket of white snow. Amazing what a camera and a little curiosity turn up.

Though they may be quick and sly, foxes are no match for an HD camera with color night vision. The image of that fox reminds us of our foolishness as believers when we convince ourselves we can live parts of our lives in “private":

• A “quiet” indulgence.
• A “secret” sin.
• A “strictly personal” thought.

But none of these things exist! Unlike our security camera (which occasionally hiccups or disconnects from Wi-Fi), there is no "service interruption" with the All-Seeing Almighty.

Shouldn't that influence the videos we watch, the books we read, and the places we go? Shouldn't that affect our conversations and even our aspirations?

The old children’s chorus comes to mind: “For the Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little feet where you go.”

You might be sly as a fox.

But you are never unseen.

“For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.”  —Luke 8:17

The moment he said it, you knew you’d remember it.

We had just finished recording a Moody Radio special with Attorney David Gibbs, Jr. His ministry, the Christian Law Association, assists Christians under fire as they live out their biblical faith.

Though the list of those opposing Christians is long—and getting longer—Attorney Gibbs stressed our need as Christ-followers to be kind and gracious, even as we stand up for our legal rights. That's when he declared, "I have one job in life: to make Jesus look good."

I felt my conscience rumble as I pondered a recent phone conversation about a computer problem. My demeanor toward the tech was less than gracious—and I surely did not make Jesus look good.

What about you?

• When the grocery cashier is slow (and almost seems to revel in their slowness)—do you still choose to make Jesus look good?
• When you vehemently disagree with the penalty call at your kid's soccer game, does your response make Jesus look good?
• When coworkers or relatives make snarky comments about "Bible thumpers like you,"—do you make Jesus look good?

We can quote Bible verses with the best of them and know every line from every worship chorus. But our reactions speak louder than our memorized Scriptures or our songs.

Best we focus on that one job: make Jesus look good. 

Remember those pastel-colored "Sweetheart" candies with Valentine's messages?

To meet the demands of Valentine's season, the Necco company (original makers) used to manufacture 100,000 pounds of candy hearts daily! And each candy featured a phrase like:

• “Cutie Pie”
• “Kiss Me”
• “Be Mine”

In the spirit of the season, I offer a more ancient—not to mention substantive—valentine found in Isaiah 43:1. Directed originally to the Israelites, it’s a valentine you, too, can claim:

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, and you are mine.”

If you know Jesus as Savior, you’re in an eternal love relationship with the Prince of Peace, with God Almighty! The only question is—are you enjoying it, or are you still trying to earn it?

It's funny. We born-again folks are quick to tell the world that salvation is not a works-based thing. But then we proceed to define ourselves by works-based things: careers, houses, social standing, etc.

But if Isaiah 43:1 is true—and it is—then that is the scale to measure our worth—not our achievements, portfolios, or fancy homes. 

The next time you hear a voice telling you that you’re just not worth very much, pull out this valentine and consider:

• God has formed you.
• God has redeemed you.
• God has called you by name.

And pay special attention to those three last words from the Almighty:

“You……Are……Mine.”

“How bad is it?” I asked the doctor.

"Well, if we don't intervene, you'll experience some permanent vision loss in your one eye."

The conversation was enough to get me to submit to a series of procedures in which the doctor injects medication into the leaky blood vessels. Translation: he pokes a needle in your eye.

Put yourself in my shoes, sitting in the reclining chair. The doctor’s assistant walks in and drizzles some drops into your eyes. Feel the sting? Now, sit there and wait for twenty minutes while you feel your pulse quicken.

Next, it's time for some more drops—more sting. But these are intended to numb the area—when the needle is poked in. You get another round of those stinging drops in a few minutes.

Feel how swollen your entire socket feels? Finally, the doctor walks in wearing a headlamp contraption suitable for a sci-fi movie. Leaning over, he asks you to look up, and before you know it, he jabs your eye with the needle.

Truthfully, the injection takes less than five seconds, so you honestly don't feel too much. (Okay, maybe a little ache). Why? Anesthesia—the great numbing effect. Anesthesia has extraordinary potential—for good or for evil.

While the injections I get from the doctor are intended for my good, you and I have a strange way of injecting ourselves—with sin. But if we know the result of sin is painful, why—and how—do we do this? In a word, anesthesia:

• The anesthesia of minimizing sin’s deadly outcome.
• The anesthesia of exaggerating sin’s pleasure.
• The anesthesia of taking the short view of life.

Lord, deliver us from the misuse of anesthesia, lest we indulge ourselves in sin.

“For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

-1 Corinthians. 15:56,57

America is growing darker—literally.

Consider. Everybody wants to sell you an LED bulb that's "the equivalent of 60 watts." But what if you have a somewhat larger room or a higher ceiling? What if you want the equivalent of a 100-watt bulb? Not as readily available.

Then there's the dimming of hotel rooms. It's not just that they've switched to LEDs (in this economy, who could blame management?). The problem is they use the absolute lowest wattage bulbs money can buy. Which means your room is quite dim.

Another example. This summer, we installed a new ceiling fan in my home office. The attached light fixture allows for a maximum of 19 (wimpy) watts of power.

For thousands of years, civilizations struggled to find enough light to illuminate their homes adequately. Today, we have the technology but live in dimmer and dimmer rooms. You could almost believe that in America, we love darkness.

Of course, my gripe about lightbulbs is small potatoes compared to the moral darkening we seem to encourage, culturally. Our movies, music, video games, and schools are moving from dim to dark—all the while calling darkness light and light darkness.

We vilify anyone who suggests that having biologically born boys showering with girls at school is wrong. We assault (legally) anyone who offers gender conversion therapy. Would anyone just ten years ago have believed this could happen in America?

The prophet Isaiah said, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness" (Isaiah 5:20).

How shall we then live? The words of Jesus come to mind:

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." —Matt 5:16