Practicing Public Piety

Read: Matthew 6

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Matthew 6.1-18 is a perfect 3-point sermon! It begins with the main point of the sermon in verse 1: Jesus says, "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Jesus immediately goes on to list three ways that people often "practice righteousness" publicly in order to impress others more than grow in their relationship with God: 1) in giving, 2) in prayer, and 3) in fasting. For those that do so, Jesus repeatedly says, "Truly I tell you, they have received their reward." This simply means that, if we give, pray, and fast with the intent of impressing others with our personal righteousness, that is the only reward we receive: the applause of others rather than true spiritual benefit/blessing.

Jesus goes on to warn us against putting our trust in earthly riches or material things. They can disappear more quickly than we realize. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...no one can serve two masters...you cannot serve both God and money" (verses 21 and 24). Jesus goes on to tell us that, when God's will is our personal priority, God will provide what we need, so we need not live with the burden and stress of worry. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (verse 33). While we should always plan for tomorrow, we need not bring tomorrow's worries into today...today is for living for God as a part of God's Kingdom!