It was lunchtime at a Catholic elementary school. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun wrote a note and posted it on the apple tray: “Take only ONE. God is watching.” As the children moved further along the lunch line and got to the other end of the long table, they found a large plate of chocolate chip cookies. There, one mischievous child had written the note: “Take all you want. God is watching the apples.”

I hope you know that God can watch the apples and the cookies at the same time. The big theological word for this is omnipresence. The Bible’s most extensive passage on the subject is Psalm 139:7-12, but a singular verse that encapsulates the idea is Jeremiah 23:24, where God asks, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?”

So, if you will permit me to play off my illustration, take all you want of some sin today, but just know that God is watching. He fills heaven and earth and doesn’t miss one thing you do either for good or bad. If you will keep this simple fact in mind as you move through your day, you’ll be surprised at how it helps you live a more godly life.