WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IN PRIVATE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"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.”

"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. 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. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

"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. 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. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This, then, is how you should pray:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

"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. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 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.”

Matthew 6:1-18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Is it just me or does it seem that some of the darkest acts a person can commit are done in secret?

A married man or woman makes arrangements to have romance with another behind the back of their spouse.

Perhaps a married man or woman steals away to a place in their own home to use the internet to access pornography and lust after something other than they have.

Maybe a person waits until just the right moment, when no one else is watching, to take something from another.

Or maybe still, a person fails to tell the truth when they should feeling that no one would ever know the difference if they just remain quiet.

I could go on but you get the point. Things seldom happen that are good when done in secret.

Or at least when we look at doing things in secret from a world view.

In our scripture today, Jesus opens our eyes up to the goodness of doing acts in secret with the focus on acts that are righteous, not sinful.

What should we do in secret? Let’s see what our Savior says.

First, Jesus instructs us to, "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them” for such actions will result in “no reward from your Father in heaven.” This is because you sought the favor of man above the favor of the Lord…plain and simple.

As an example, Jesus used something that we all should be familiar with…giving to those in need.

How many times do we do something for someone and then think we have to tell someone about it?

It’s like we have to always have the spotlight shining on us as we proclaim how great we are…and in doing so, we steal the glory away from the One who deserves it most.

So what does Jesus tell us to do?

When we give to the needy, we are to not “announce it…to be honored by men” but rather ensure that our “giving may be in secret”…so that the “Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward” us. It’s all about whose favor you are seeking. The world’s rewards are temporary. The Lord’s rewards are eternal.

Jesus goes from giving to talk about praying again exhorting His disciples, and us as well, to not pray “standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men” but to rather “go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”

Essentially, Jesus asks us why we would ever want to raise our prayers before those who can’t answer them. Rather, prayers need only be raised secretly in the presence of the Lord…the only One who can be our very present help in times of need…the only One who “knows what (we) need before (we) ask him.”

And we need not even wonder what we should pray. For Jesus helps us there by giving us what we commonly know as His prayer…the Lord’s Prayer:

"'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come, Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”

Indeed, this should be our daily plea as we come before the Lord, praying in secret:

“Dear Lord, Your will be done in my life on earth as it is in heaven. Give me my daily bread…forgive me my debts and lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil.”
The last item Jesus covers that we should do in private is a spiritual discipline we all should probably participate more in…fasting.

So what does Jesus say about it?

When fasting, He tells us to “not look somber” or “disfigure (our) faces to show men (we) are fasting”. No, instead we are to “put oil on (our) head and wash (our) face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen”. Again, your sacrifice is being made to show your dependence on the Lord to provide for you…not man…so why would you want to publicize your fast to anyone but Him? We should ever be seeking His favor…His reward…His will and way for our lives.

So what should we do in private?

Jesus tells us to give…pray…and fast. And we do it to glorify the Father first and foremost so that he and only He receives the glory He so very much deserves.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com