Thursday, March 25, 2010

Matthew 6 - Doing good without looking for reward

S - Matthew 6:4, 17-18
4that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 17But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
O - This contradicts most of what we see out in the world. If someone is giving in any capacity, whether it be time or money, or sacrificing, as in fasting or doing without, the tendency is to broadcast this to the masses. Many times this may be done by the benefactor but at times we also see this coming from the one doing the good.
The fear that I have in not letting people know what good I am doing is that many people assume that one is not doing something good if they don't hear about it. Jesus says here that it doesn't really matter what others might think or see but that God will reward us for the good that we do.
A - While living my life I have ample opportunities to do good; anywhere from small, somewhat meaningless acts to very large and visual acts. My focus should always be on God and what he wants in my life. If someone notices this outside of my Heavenly Father, fine, but this should not be my reasoning for doing good things.
With my business I need to keep my head down and do the necessary work to succeed. There will be a day when this work and success is very much visible and I look forward to that day, but until then, keep my mouth shut and do the work.
P - Heavenly Father. I give you all praise and honor and I thank you for always being with me and guiding me through life. Help me to do what you want and to fulfill the purpose that you have placed in my heart. Let me always focus on your desires instead of my own when I am doing good things. Help me to have a very humble heart when these acts are recognized and let me use this all for your glory and honor.
Be with me and my family and help me to be that example to my children everyday of my life. In Jesus' Name.
Amen

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