We pray, give and sacrifice in the name of God so we can be noticed and commended by other people.
(Matthew 6:21 ESV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Where is my treasure? Where is my heart? Actually. In reality. Not in Dave’s world but in everyday life.
Interesting as I read another text in Matthew.
(Matthew 6:1 ESV) “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.
Who am I really concerned about impressing? Is it really glory to God?
Religious people want to be noticed for their goodness. People walking the path of Jesus Christ want to please God.
When we practice our righteousness to be noticed, to be commended by other people, then we have received our full reward. The accolades from others is our full payment, God things done with only an earthly connection, horizontal living with a pretense toward heaven. No reward from God!
But when we practice our righteousness in the secret place of the Father’s presence, then our Father who sees in secret repays us.
The reward from the Father is at least two-fold, now and then, present and future. “Now” as in our deeper relationship with God and “then” or later as we have laid up treasure in heaven.
My experience is that although we first think through this passage with an eye to later reward in heaven, that once we taste God’s “repayment” in the daily course of our lives that this daily connection and fellowship is what our hearts truly long for.
This is the rich reward of following God. He repays righteousness with his presence, with an awareness of his daily care and faithfulness, with assurance of his future plans, of his might and strength, with his compassionate interest today and now in our needs and hopes and dreams.
Is this really a hard choice?
- Practice my righteousness before people to be noticed
- Do religious stuff to be rewarded by the commendation of other people.
- What I value, my treasure, is shown to be in the here and now before people.
- I give to the poor in the name of God, pray to God and fast before God to be exalted by people.
- My relationship with God lives or dies by the praise and acceptance of other people.
- I know nothing of the secret place of the Father.
- Huh!
OR
(Matthew 6:6 ESV) 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.
- Don’t do things for the praise of people.
- Find the secret place of God.
- Live in the reward of the daily presence of God.
- Understand the joy of a heart in heaven; where your treasure is, of course.
- Do what is right to please God.
- And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Who do I want to reward me?
Doing things before God brings the reward of God; doing things before people brings the reward of people.
