August 29

Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves. — Mark 2:8

Christ sees into people’s lives and knows all that is going on in them. He saw faith in the men who brought their friend to Him that he might be healed. Then He saw into the man’s own life, its past and its present, and knew that the paralysis was not his worst trouble, that he needed more to have his sins forgiven than to have his sickness cured.

He also read the thoughts of the scribes. They reasoned in their hearts, and Jesus knew their thoughts. Then He saw in the publican the qualities which fitted him for being an apostle.

It should be both a restraint and an encouragement for us to think that Christ knows all of us – the most secret things, that we can hide nothing from Him. It should make us most careful how we live.

Then it should be an inspiration to us, encouraging us always to be faithful. He knows when we try, though we fail. He knows when we are sincere, though in our weakness we do wrong. He knows that Peter loved Him, though he had denied Him.