Friday. [Acts 5:1–11; John 5:30–6:2]

   Why did Ananias and Sapphira sin so badly? Because they forgot that God sees their deeds and thoughts. If they kept in mind that God sees everything both internal and external more clearly than all people see, even with regard to themselves, it would not have entered their mind to lie in such a way before the Apostles. This is why all of our sins and sinful plans arise. We contrive to conceal everything from the gaze of man, and think that everything is fine. People seem not to see anything, assume we are in good shape; but this does not change our essential nothingness. Knowing this, repeat each of you to yourself: why doth Satan fill my heart to lie before the face of God? His eyes which are brighter than the sun see into the innermost recesses of the heart; neither night nor sea, nor cave are concealed from Him. Remember this and so arrange your inward and outward behaviour, though it be unseen. If the All-seeing One were alien to us, it would be possible to regard His omniscience indifferently. But He is judge, and He often pronounces His judgment, by virtue of His Omniscience, sooner than we expect. It could be that He has already pronounced judgment upon us the very moment we thought to hide ourselves and our sins with a dark lie, saying, “God doesn’t see!”