Do Righteous Acts for the Father, Not for Man

Do Righteous Acts for the Father, Not for Man

“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. (Matthew 6:1)

           

With the words above, Jesus once again takes a common religious teaching and makes it an issue of the heart. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness is not just a matter of giving, praying, and fasting; it is doing these righteous acts with a heart to please God and draw near to Him.

In New Testament times, it was common to do righteous acts in a way that everyone around would know how religious and pious the person was. Trumpets would be blown to draw attention to a large gift; prayers in public would be loud, long-winded, and ostentatious; those who were fasting would make sure everyone knew about it. The whole point was to get the approval of the men and women around you, and Jesus simply says that if that is your goal, then that will be your reward. You will have no reward from your Father in heaven because you weren't doing it for Him in the first place.

In America today, we might say, “Well, we don’t have to worry about this verse. We don’t blow trumpets when we give and the average person rarely fasts or prays in public anyway. It doesn't apply to us.”

Or does it?

When we get all dressed up in our Sunday best and make the kids be on their best behavior at church, is it for God or is it so that we will look good in front of our friends and neighbors?

When we give is it with a joyful heart unto God or is it with strings attached – the money must be used in the way we want it to be; we feel that we should be asked to be on the church board or leadership team; we want an accurate accounting so that we can get credit with the IRS and maybe even with church or community leaders who might find out about it.   

And when we pray or lead worship or read Scripture publicly, is it with joy in our heart that we are in the presence of the Lord and among his people or is it a performance that will be evaluated by the amount of applause or the accolades after the service is over?

 Jesus knew how easy it is to slide from doing something for God to doing it for man. He knew that the Pharisees and religious leaders in his day were more concerned with impressing each other than with impressing God – He called them a brood of vipers and sons of hell and many other colorful terms.

And Jesus knows not only their hearts but yours and mine. If your acts of righteousness are done with a heart for God and a desire to please him, then you will give Him great pleasure and you will be rewarded, regardless of the amount of the gift or how eloquent your prayer or how long you fast. And if you have even just now realized that you are performing your acts of righteousness for the approval of man, you know what to do about it. Confess it to the Lord and He will be faithful to forgive you and help you get back on track with Him.

Pray with me:

            Lord, forgive me for when I have done things that were supposedly for you but in reality they were done for the approval of others. Help me to be whole-heartedly for you in my acts of righteousness; it is my desire to please you and you alone. And Lord, don’t just help me in this area, but help my church and my Christian friends and family members that I bring before you now…continue praying as you are led…

For further study, ask the Lord to give you insight on these Scriptures:

Luke 12:1-5  Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

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