“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
The essence of this command of Christ can be summed up in a single statement: live for an audience of One. Living for an audience of One gives us a desire to live our life in a way pleasing to our Creator. Doing so allows freedom from the fear of man, provides protection from artificiality, and brings communion with God.
Too often, we look to our peers to gain their approval instead of striving to please God in what we do. Man’s approval means nothing in heaven—only God’s opinion matters. Being willing to stand up to your convictions, even if they are contrary to popular opinion, is rare and admirable, yet doing so might be necessary if we choose to live for an audience of One.
It is often very noticeable when a person determines the way he acts depending on the people with whom he is hanging out. Jesus says that “no man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). God wants us to be sincere—without hypocrisy—in all our words and actions.
When we live in accordance to God’s will and direction for our life, our relationship with God is deepened. God desires to have intimate fellowship with each one of His children, but the choice rests with us individually as to whether or not we spend time with Him. If we allow a busy schedule or other circumstances to suck up all our time, without setting aside time for deepening our relationship with God, our spiritual nourishment dries up. We owe God the firstfruits of our day to spend in prayer and spiritual development, for if we don't put God first, who are we striving to please?
Peter Kroon
4/25/2005
Matthew 6:1–4
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.”
The essence of this command of Christ can be summed up in a single statement: live for an audience of One. Living for an audience of One gives us a desire to live our life in a way pleasing to our Creator. Doing so allows freedom from the fear of man, provides protection from artificiality, and brings communion with God.
Too often, we look to our peers to gain their approval instead of striving to please God in what we do. Man’s approval means nothing in heaven—only God’s opinion matters. Being willing to stand up to your convictions, even if they are contrary to popular opinion, is rare and admirable, yet doing so might be necessary if we choose to live for an audience of One.
It is often very noticeable when a person determines the way he acts depending on the people with whom he is hanging out. Jesus says that “no man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). God wants us to be sincere—without hypocrisy—in all our words and actions.
When we live in accordance to God’s will and direction for our life, our relationship with God is deepened. God desires to have intimate fellowship with each one of His children, but the choice rests with us individually as to whether or not we spend time with Him. If we allow a busy schedule or other circumstances to suck up all our time, without setting aside time for deepening our relationship with God, our spiritual nourishment dries up. We owe God the firstfruits of our day to spend in prayer and spiritual development, for if we don't put God first, who are we striving to please?