SCRIPTURE
Matthew 6:1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
OBSERVATION
We have an AWESOME God:
Isaiah 57:15 For this is what the high and lofty One says— he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Jesus being equally God is just as awesome:
Philippians 2:6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Both God and Jesus could have decided to have nothing to do with us little puny humans. The one that Isaiah called “The high and lofty one” was willing to connect and have a relationship with the “contrite and lowly in spirit.”
As big and awesome and powerful as they are they took the time to care about us without favoritism, they displayed their love for us and provided us with access to them.
How can we ignore their example in the way we treat our peers? How can we ignore their teaching?
Matthew 20:26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Are you better than the next guy? Do we perform our “acts of righteousness” as if we are on a different level from the rest? You may fast, pray or give to the poor but do you feel like you deserve to be elevated above the rest of the sinners that you are sharing the planet with.
We must be careful about how we view our status.
Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Romans 12:3 Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
When we take least notice of our good deeds ourselves, God takes most notice of them.
APPLICATION
I will guard my attitude, I don’t want to carry out my “acts of righteousness” as a performance.
PRAYER
Lord help us to view ourselves from your perspective. I don’t want to do anything that appears to elevate myself above my peers. Help me to be humble no matter what spiritual discipline or success in ministry I may experience, it is all for you and not for my own glory.
