Does he not see my ways and count my every step? – Job 31:4

Today's Scripture Reading (July 28, 2021): Job 31

We reveal who we really are through the actions we take when no one is watching. This is the moment of our true morality. Think about it. What activities do you frequently undertake but that you wouldn't want anyone else to know? What sets your heart into panic mode just at the thought that someone might find out what you have done. I am not talking about the acts you have committed in the past of which you have genuinely repented, actions that are part of your yesterday, and that you intend to make sure never again become a part of your today. I am talking about what you do when you are alone when you think that no one is watching. The reality is that those actions reveal the authentic you. These are the sins that define you and the actual acts of morality that will lift your spirit. Those acts we have done while alone define the real condition of our hearts. And I hope that those secret acts are filled with acts of giving and charity about which no one knows, but the reality is that, too often, we advertise our acts of charity to anyone willing to listen. When no one is watching, we do the private sins that we are loathed to give up.

Job has been talking about his moral state. His friends have accused him of being a less than honorable person, that his current condition is repayment for his private sins and the things that he did while no one was watching. Job has countered that assertion. He states clearly for his friends that "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman" (Job 31:1). The depth of his morality was something of which the Prophet took great care. Regardless of what his accusers might think, he was a man of integrity. The way that he acted when no one was watching reflected that morality.

Besides, Job recognized another great truth. That moment when no one is watching is actually a lie, a fairy tale told by people who believe that they are getting away with their sins. Job speaks using poetic language, but he knows that God sees every action, that "he counts our every step." When it came to matters of integrity, it helped Job to understand that God was always watching.

There is never a time when God does not see what we are doing, both the good and the bad. And he is the only audience we should be trying to please, a truth that Job knew very well.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Job 32