Ya know, He sees the Good, Too!

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Pr 15:3 AV)

 

The meaning here is obvious.  There is no mystery.  God sees everything.  We use this verse to warn people God sees everything we do, so we should be careful.  The straightforward and oft used application is that God sees the evil so we had better stop the evil lest He sees it and judges it.  This is a sound and appropriate use of this verse.  One which we need to hear more and more.  An application we rarely remember.  An application that would keep us from a world of sin.  However, there is something else God sees.  The LORD also sees the good.  Perhaps we forget this more than the former.  We hear much of failures and sins.  We do not hear enough of the successes.  Not only does God see the bad we do, but He also sees the good we do.  This is so important to remember.

Raising children is a privilege.  If a parent is sensitive to the raising of their children, they will discover praise works better than chastisement.  Recognizing what he or she is doing right even if it is less than wrong, will motivate that child to do more right.  Especially if we catch them doing something right rather than observation over an entire span.  For instance: when a son cleans up his room without being asked.  I have three sons.  One is completely organized and his room shows it.  Everything is decent and in order.  I have another who is exactly the opposite.  When you look into his room, it looks like a tornado took up permanent residence.  The third son is somewhere in the middle.  These traits are inherent.  They are part of their personality.  This doesn’t mean it is right.  It just means it is who they are.  So, when my messy son cleaned and organized his room, all on his own, it was cause for celebration!  The organized one is not that much of an athlete.  He earned the most improved player six years in a row.  How is that even possible?  However, when he sank a three-pointer at the buzzer as he jogged off the court, the place went wild.  Then there is the third.  Very athletic.  However, his choice of sport and position took great skill to master.  We worked on many aspects of that position and the combined skills to make him a success.  What worked in all three cases was acknowledging the good they accomplished while correcting the wrong.  If all I did was harp on the wrong, what motive would there be to improve?  A child needs to know he can please his parent.  Otherwise, he will give up trying.

Correction is not the only form of nurturing.  There is commendation as well.  In the letters to the churches of Revelation, if there was anything of commendation to a specific church, our LORD mentions it.  The letters were not solely regarding rebuke.  There was recognition of what they did well and an encouragement to continue on in that which they did well.  If it was their tenacity in standing for the truth, Jesus mentions it.  If they had mutual care one for another, Jesus mentions it.  If the church endured persecution, then Christ made a big deal of it.  If they protected the word of God, a statement of recognition was made.  Jesus recognized the good and not just the evil.  When we begin to think that no one sees how we serve the LORD and those things we do in private that no one would know, we need to remember that Jesus knows.  He saw that exercise of grace towards another they would never know about.  He sees the time you took it on the chin for the sake of another.  He observed you as you gave up something for the needs of another.  He sees it all and is well pleased.  Next time we get down on ourselves because of all the failures we commit (and they are great), let us remember He also sees all the good we do and we will hear, “Well done, though good and faithful servant.”