God still sees

“…rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.” Ephesians 6:7-8

We don’t have to search too hard or look very far to find that our world is filled with injustice. All you need to do is turn on the nightly news, and you will hear and see more than you’d probably like to. This is a hard life in a hard world. If we, as believers, didn’t possess hope in Christ, I don’t know how we would make it day to day. Honestly, I don’t know how those who don’t believe do. One thing you and I can be confident of though is this: God sees all, and one day, He will set all things right. We can bank our lives on this truth. We can possess great hope because of this truth. And we can live lives of obedience because of this truth, whether we ever see reward on this side of heaven or not.

Paul finishes his instruction and completes his thought to slaves (or employees) in verses seven and eight. Yesterday, we looked long and hard at the motivation of our hearts, the why behind the what that we do. I imagine it was as convicting for you as it was for me, and while it may have been a difficult day of homework for you, I pray it was a beneficial one. It is always good to be challenged by God’s Word, and it is even better to be changed by it. My prayer is that you have come to today’s lesson with renewed conviction and steadfast hope. The God we serve is a God who gives us good reason for every obedience that He calls us to. Just as we’ve already stated but cannot say enough, God blesses obedience.

The timeless truth that we are able to grasp from these verses in Ephesians is that God will never allow any good work done for His glory to go unnoticed or unrewarded by Him. People may overlook our efforts and dismiss our good works, but God never will. We can be confident of that. This truth gives us all the more reason to work and live to please God and not man, knowing that our rewards are eternal and will not fade. When the motivation of our hearts is pure, the reward is inevitable. This is the God that we serve. He sees all. He knows all. Nothing escapes His knowledge. No obedience goes unnoticed. Never.

The confidence we can walk in, then, is that God not only sees our good works and will reward us for them if they are done as unto Him, but He also sees our mistreatment. Sin never escapes the watchful eye of God, and all sin bears consequence. Therefore, you and I can rest in the certainty that justice will come. Any and all abuse or mistreatment that you have endured has not gone unnoticed by our God. All injustice done against you was seen by a Holy God, and one day God will set all things right. He will right all wrongs. He will judge all sin. And He will bless all obedience.

To those who are desperately trying to be faithful in this hard, cruel world: Keep pressing on, friends. Keep pursuing righteous living. Keep walking in obedience. Keep doing it all for God’s approval and for His praise. Reward awaits you. Blessing is just around the corner. God still sees your efforts. He sees your good works. Nothing escapes His vision. He has not, nor will He ever overlook you. So, press on. Even when no one is watching and no one recognizes all that you do, do it all as unto the Lord. He still sees.