(Matthew 6:1-8) “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
(Matthew 6:16-18) “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you."Reminder: "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will. When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!
It is God's will:
- that we do not practice looking righteous for the sake of people's approval (6:1)
- that we discreetly give to the poor and not look for people's approval in doing so (6:2-4)
- that we discreetly fast and not look for people's approval in doing so (6:16-18)
- that we discreetly pray and not look for people's approval in doing so (6:5-6)
- that we do not use meaningless repetition in our prayers thinking that the length of prayer will be more effective, but trust and know that God has heard our prayers already (6:7-8)
Today's prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for already knowing what we need, and for already knowing what we will ask of You. Give us more faith in trusting You to answer our prayers. Remind us that we should be bringing everything to You in prayer.
Guide us towards doing everything to Your glory, and not with the motive of seeking people's approval. Guide us in being righteous, and not just appearing righteous. Continue to change us from the inside out, so that our motives for being obedient to You are pure. Amen.
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