Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:1-8
An Authentic Influence
Every day we go to work and school and we influence people in ways we never even know. As Christians, we should be conscientious of how we are acting in front of others. Everyone is an “influencer” today with the social media platforms that we have. You can be whoever or whatever you want to be and we can make our lives appear perfect when they are really not. I believe that the world today does not want more people who look perfect. The world today needs authentic Christians to share an authentic love from an authentic God.
The world wants authentic Christians, but not self-righteous Christians. Displaying righteousness is the furthermost thing from authenticity. People, especially those who are not churched, can see through a Christian who is displaying their righteousness before others in order to be seen by them. Jesus is telling us to not brag on ourselves when we do something for His kingdom. When we give to the needy or do anything else of service, we should be discreet about it, not boastful. When we boast about our own deeds, we are like the hypocrites in the synagogues at the time when Jesus was teaching this message. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. When we do things for the applause of men, that is the extent of our reward – their attention and applause. The reward we get in Heaven from our Heavenly Father is so much better. Our actions as Christians should only be about pleasing God. When we are seeking attention or applause for a deed, we are seeking to please people.
They wanted glory for themselves instead of glory for God. We should quietly execute these deeds. - But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. We may feel the need to be seen but the only one who truly matters sees everything you do. We may feel undervalued or not appreciated because no one may see or know what we have done, but if we are doing it for God’s glory He sees and knows.
The same thing applies to our prayer life. We don’t have to pray flowery prayers with big words in public to impress God. The Jews in Jesus’ day prayed in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. But Jesus said, But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. God knows what we need before we even ask it. Jesus said to go into your (prayer) room (or closet), and shut the door so there is no one else there – just you and God.
The word room here is the ancient Greek word that was used for a storeroom where treasures were kept. The time we have with our Heavenly Father is a treasure, and He loves us so much that He counts our prayers as treasures. There is not a better word that we can use for the most private moments that we spend with God – moments where we lay our hearts bare before Him, and He cares and He loves us with the most authentic, unconditional love.
In order for us to use our influence well for the kingdom, we must remember how not to use it, and to live with authentic integrity, character, moral purity, graciousness, and truthfulness. Only when others see authenticity, vulnerability, and truthfulness in our lives will they believe the good news we have to share.
