APRIL 4, 2013
Supernatural
Surveillance
Read: Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Your Father who sees
in secret will reward you openly. —Matthew 6:18
Not
far from my house, authorities have rigged a camera to snap pictures of
drivers
who race through red lights. The offenders later receive in the mail a
ticket
along with a “red-light photo,” which is visual proof of their traffic
violation.
Sometimes
I think of God in the same way I think of that camera—He’s up there,
just
waiting to catch me doing the wrong thing. While God does see our sin (Heb.
4:13),
He sees and takes interest in our good deeds as well. Due to His
supernatural surveillance,
God sees the size of our sacrifice when we give
money to the church or to those in
need (Mark 12:41-44). He hears our private
prayers (Matt. 6:6). And when we fast,
we can carry on as usual being assured
that our “Father . . . sees in secret” (v.18).
Knowing
that God sees everything frees us from thinking about the watchful eyes of
others. When we do what is right, we need no applause from onlookers; when we
sin,
we do not need to worry about our reputation once we settle the issue with
God and
anyone we’ve harmed. We can rest knowing that “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to show Himself
strong on behalf of those whose heart is
loyal to Him” (2 Chron. 16:9).
Lord, thank You for Your all-seeing nature. You know
everything I think and do. Help me to value Your
approval and live according to Your standards,
no matter what anyone else may think.
Others see what we do, but God sees why we do it.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
