Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Joel Peralta was ejected from a baseball game last month. When umpires went out and checked his glove, they found pine tar on it. That is against the rules.

A reporter asked the umpires what alerted them to the situation. They said they were responding to a request by the Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson to check Peralta’s glove. When Johnson was asked why he thought they would find pine tar, he said, “Well…he pitched here for the Washington Nationals.”

If he pitched for you, you knew his habits. It would seem to me that Joel ought to have been smart enough to figure out that his former teammates would know his secret. It just goes to show that you may get away with something for a short while, but it doesn’t last long.

This could be more relevant as we are discovering that drones, those remote-controlled, camera-equipped aircraft that have been used to hunt terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan, are now being used more and more in America. Police departments in Florida, Maryland, Texas, and Colorado are testing them, and hopefully they will be very helpful in tracking down criminals and helping in search and rescue missions.

The FAA estimates that by the end of the decade there may be 30,000 unmanned aerial vehicles, some as small as birds, here in America. When you are driving down the highway at an excessive speed, you might check for blue flashing lights parked on the side of the road, but not realize there could be a small drone just above you recording your speed.

There are a lot of issues being raised about drones and privacy. Fifty percent of Americans oppose the use of drones in domestic skies, but there is some precedence for their use. In 1989 the Supreme Court ruled that police don’t need a warrant to observe a private property from public airspace.

Sin will not go undiscovered for a long length of time. People may be engaged in things contrary to God’s will, but ultimately justice will prevail. The old saying is, “your sins will find you out.”

The Bible is clear that “the result of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” (Romans 6:23)

I expect Joel Peralta wished he had changed his ways when he was traded to Tampa Bay. The growing use of drones means that we don’t need to be in places we shouldn’t be in nor doing things we ought not to be doing.

The scope of God’s presence far exceeds any reputation or drones. Job reminds us “For God carefully watches the way people live; He sees everything they do. No darkness is thick enough to hide the wicked from His eyes.” (Job 34:21, 22 NLT)

Our conduct ought to be pleasing to God. He is always watching, not simply to write down things we are doing wrong, but because He loves us enough that He wants to offer the best life for each of us.

Godly conduct always negates the necessity for unsuccessful cover up!!