More Than Doing Things for God · Day 6
The Father Who Sees in Secret
By Wolisson Nascimento Santos
“That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
Matthew 6:4 · King James Version (KJV)
Some acts remain unknown: help offered quietly, a prayer at the end of the day, forgiveness that never became a story to tell. Jesus speaks of a Father who sees precisely that part of life.
We learn early to look after our reputation in church. It is good to be spoken well of, good to be trusted, good to be remembered when help is needed. None of that is a sin.
But we can become more concerned with our reputation in church than with our relationship with Jesus. More concerned with looking right than with being close to him. Gradually, the lack of recognition begins to decide whether serving is still worthwhile.
In Matthew 6, Jesus invites you to do good before the Father. There is a part of your life nobody applauds — the prayer nobody heard, the forgiveness nobody knew about, the tiredness you never mentioned — and that is exactly where he is looking.
Today, let one act of care remain between you, the person you helped, and God. You are not alone in the hidden place. You have company.
The context
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeats the same structure three times: giving, prayer and fasting. In all three, the problem is never the practice — it is the audience. He does not tell you to stop giving, praying and fasting. He tells you to choose who for.
And notice the word he uses for God. It is not “God, who sees”. It is “thy Father, which seeth”.
Did you know?
The phrase “in secret” appears twice in the same sentence: your alms in secret, and the Father who sees in secret. It is the same place. Jesus is saying that the hiding place where you do good without anyone knowing is not an empty room — it is where he already is.
A line to keep
What you do where nobody sees does not fall into the void. Someone is there.
Today’s challenge
Today, do one good thing nobody will find out about. Do not tell, do not post, do not mention it — not even to the person who would most like to know.
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