Verse of the Day 1/14

 

Matthew 6:1 "Be careful not to practice your righteousness^[a] in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

In Jesus sermon on the mount, tucked between the verses about going the extra mile and loving your enemies and the passage of the Lord's prayer in chapter 6 we find today's verse which reveals where our hearts should be in all of these actions.  It comes from a heart that is in tune with God, one that makes following the depth of Lord's prayer day by day even if not word for word.

 

It is natural to like to be rewarded for doing a good deed.  It is very tempting to broadcast it.  But looking back through time, the ones who are revered the most for their efforts are the ones who don't trumpet it.  Countless others are virtually unknown by man, but someone else notices.  God does.

 

The Pharisee's showed and became known for their hypocrisy of following the law to the letter but lacking compassion for their fellow man, even taking offense to many of Jesus' healings.

 

John MacArthur writes that "all of these acts (from 5:20 through 6:18) are supposed to be worship rendered to God, never displays of righteousness to gain the admiration of others."  Our goal, our motive should not be to be seen, "to live for the applause, applause", but as The Message points out, to work how God most often works, behind the scenes helping out, with the attitude "to God be the glory".

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Matthew 6:1-4

The Message (MSG)

The World Is Not a Stage

6 "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding.

^2-4 "When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action, I'm sure—'playactors' I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that's all they get. When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out.