Jehovah Is an Appreciative God

 
“God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name.”—HEBREWS 6:10.
 
JEHOVAH deeply appreciates the efforts of those who sincerely seek to do his will, and he richly rewards them. (Hebrews 11:6) The faithful man Boaz was acquainted with this beautiful facet of God’s personality, for he said to the Moabitess Ruth, who lovingly cared for her widowed mother-in-law: “May Jehovah reward the way you act, and may there come to be a perfect wage for you from Jehovah.” (Ruth 2:12) Was Ruth blessed by God? Absolutely! Why, her story is recorded in the Bible! Furthermore, she married Boaz and became an ancestress of both King David and Jesus Christ. (Ruth 4:13, 17; Matthew 1:5, 6, 16) That example is but one of many in the Bible showing Jehovah’s appreciation for his servants.
 
Jehovah would consider it unrighteous on his part if he were to show a lack of appreciation. Says Hebrews 6:10: “God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name, in that you have ministered to the holy ones and continue ministering.” What makes this statement remarkable is that God shows appreciation for devoted people even though they are sinners and fall short of his glory.—Romans 3:23.
 
 Because of our imperfection, we may feel that our deeds of godly devotion are insignificant and unworthy of God’s blessing. Jehovah, though, fully understands our motives and circumstances, and he truly values our whole-souled service. (Matthew 22:37) To illustrate: A mother finds a gift—an inexpensive necklace—on her table. She could view the gift as of little value and toss it aside. However, the accompanying card reveals that the gift is from her little girl, who spent all her savings to buy it. The mother now sees the gift in a new light. Perhaps with tears in her eyes, she embraces her child and expresses her heartfelt appreciation.
 
 Being fully aware of our motives and limitations, Jehovah appreciates it when we give him our best, whether that is a little or a lot. In this regard, Jesus was a perfect reflection of his Father. Recall the Bible account about the widow’s mite. “As [Jesus] looked up he saw the rich dropping their gifts into the treasury chests. Then he saw a certain needy widow drop two small coins of very little value there, and he said: ‘I tell you truthfully, This widow, although poor, dropped in more than they all did. For all these dropped in gifts out of their surplus, but this woman out of her want dropped in all the means of living she had.’”—Luke 21:1-4.
 
 Yes, knowing the woman’s circumstances—that she was widowed and poor—Jesus understood the true value of her gift, and he was moved with appreciation. The same can be said of Jehovah. (John 14:9) Is it not encouraging to know that whatever your circumstances, you can find favor in the eyes of our appreciative God and of his Son?