He sees

 

"Jesus went over to the collection box in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.  Many rich people put in large amounts.  Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies.  He called his disciples to him and said, 'I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given.  For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.'" Mark 12:41-44 (NLT).

 

God watches us.  He knows all that we do.  No matter where we go or what we do, he sees it all.  Even when we are in private places such as our bedrooms or bathrooms he is watching.  Hebrews 4:13 says, "Nothing in all creation can hide from him.  Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes.  This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done" (NLT).

 

Whether we are doing right or wrong, God sees.  Whether we are clothed or naked, God sees.  Whether we are sleeping or working, God sees.  Whether we are at home or traveling or in the hospital, God sees.  Whether we are in our bed or a hotel bed, God sees.  He sees the books we read, the music we buy, the movies we watch, the games we play, the magazines we peruse, and the places we go.  There is nothing he doesn't see.  He sees all that we do at all times - both good and bad.  He also sees when we give to God or others.

 

This is the picture in the verses above as Jesus sits down to watch those coming to the Temple to give money to God.  He does what God also does 24 - 7- 365 - he watches everyone.  He watched all the people giving their monies to God.  He even noticed when a poor widow gave two pennies.

 

Now, two pennies won't buy much.  In fact, it won't buy anything.  Some might even think "why bother."  Why bother to put two pennies in the offering plate when it won't make any real difference to God's work?

 

But herein lies a secret about giving.  We don't give primarily to benefit God or his causes, we give to worship him.  This woman may have put an insignificant amount of money in the offering plate, but she worshipped God with all her heart as she did it.  We know this because she gave all she had to God feeling that he was worth all she had.

 

Now that's true worship.  It isn't about the worth of our gift, but the worth of our God.  It isn't about paying bills for the church, but paying homage to the Lord of all.  It isn't about impressing the church leadership with our commitment and generosity, it's about being impressed with God's greatness and enormity.

 

But here's the real blessing of giving.  God sees what we give, no matter how much or little - and he keeps tack of it so that he can reward us later.  No matter how much we give, we cannot out-give God for he will reward us many times over compared to what we give.  As Jesus said, "If you give, you will receive.  Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over.  Whatever measure you use in giving - large or small - it will be used to measure what is given back to you" - Luke 6:38 (NLT).

 

Putting an offering in the plate at church; handing money or food to a homeless person; donating to someone who lost their job; contributing to organizations that help the poor, abused, and forgotten; helping children who have no way to earn money or sustain themselves; assisting widows and the aged; answering the plea of someone in trouble - - all these and more God sees.  He knows of every financial or benevolent gift that we give at the very second in time that we give it, and he promises to reward us.

 

When I was in Bible College in the 80s, my wife and I were very poor as most newlywed students are apt to be.  We lived in an old dented up 12 X 60 trailer that had formerly been repossessed.  To say that we had no money would be the understatement of the century.  I was working as a cashier at the Western Steer Steakhouse in Grayson, Kentucky and going to school full time.  The job paid very little, but we were happy. 

 

Well, I occasionally came home with a little change in my pocket and would drop it in an empty icing can sitting on our counter with a plastic lid with a slit in the top that I had put there.  I affectionately labeled the can "Punky's Pennies" my wife, Darla, was Punky, of course.

 

For a solid year I dropped mostly pennies into the can periodically and occasionally a dime or even a quarter.  But mostly it was pennies or nickels.  We were that poor.

 

At the end of a year, my birthday rolled around, and my wife, beaming with love and joy, presented me with a single gift - a white dress shirt for me to preach in.  I asked her how she had gotten the money for the shirt since I knew we didn't have it in the bank anywhere.  She pointed to the Punky's Pennies can.  She had extracted ten dollars out of the can - - every penny she had saved for a solid year, and spent it on a shirt for me.

 

I wept.

 

Her sacrifice touched me deeply.  I remember hugging the shirt as tears rolled down my cheeks and then hugging my wife as I received her sacrificial gift.  Her selflessness radiated Christlike love to me like nothing else I had ever felt before.  She had spent her entire year's savings on me.  

 

One day, God will reward my wife with 100 times as much as she gave, for he saw what she did, and her selflessness touched him as much as it did me.

 

So give in Jesus' name and remember that he rewards every selfless gift, whether great or small, even if it is only a cup of cold water given to a thirsty soul.

 

Above all, never forget that God sees all that you do, and when you act in his name, he is so very proud of you.