Just in the previous chapter it says, "so that they may see your good works" and now in Matthew 6:1 Jesus is giving us a warning of practicing our righteousness to be seen by others. So which one is it? Should we be doing this for others to see or not? It's not a simple yes or no answer. This month, we're going to be looking at why we should be doing what God has called us to do.
Over the last three months, we've seen that Jesus is requiring a full heart change. If we are going to follow Him, it's not just a matter of following a simple checklist of what to do or not do. Our motivation and heart behind our actions are important if we're going to be consistent with following Jesus' commands. There are really two types of motivations mentioned here: the applause of men and the applause of God. With that, there are also two rewards: being awarded by men and being awarded by God. Why we are doing certain things is important!
Here are three different examples that Jesus gives:
Jesus says when you give to the poor to not sound a trumpet to be seen like the hypocrites. We won't want to be someone who does something outwardly but is something completely different on the inside. Jesus wants our actions and our hearts to align. He is warning us to not be people who do a righteous action solely for the recognition – these people are really only giving so they can get something in return, in this case the praise of others. If you're only giving to the poor in order to be recognized by others, the only reward you're going to get is the praise/recognition from them. However, if your heart is truly in the right place and you're giving from a place of love, you will be rewarded by God.
While we might not be giving to the poor, there are other ways we might be pulled to help those around us. The most important thing to ask yourself is why are you doing these things? There's a problem if you're doing good work only to be recognized by those around you!
The next part talks specifically about prayer. We'll talk more next month on the Lord's prayer, but today the focus is going to be on why you pray. Again, Jesus is warning us to not be like the hypocrites. He doesn't want us to only pray in public for others to see – He wants intimate conversations with us where our heart is truly in the right place.
The last thing Jesus specifically mentions here is fasting. Again, Jesus warns us to not be like the hypocrites who make it known to those around them that they are fasting. While it's not very common today for us to fast from all food, there are other ways people will fast. One example I've seen from other Christians is fasting from social media or technology in general. Fasting can be a way to put a deeper focus on your relationship with God, but it isn't something that you need to go around telling others about.
In all three examples that Jesus gave in his sermon, he mentions the hypocrites doing all these "righteous" actions in order to be seen by others and how they've already received their reward. Their only reward is the recognition and praise from those around them instead of receiving an eternal reward from God. If you are living out the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, you're living it out for a reward that is GREATER than what the world has to offer. The reward God has for us is greater than any platform, applause, money, or anything else the world has to offer! Just like in our discussion last month, it all comes down to our heart.
Why do you do the things that you do? Are you motivated out of a deep sense of who God is and who you are in Jesus? Are you motivated by a heart of love and admiration for God? Are you motivated by a love for other people? OR are you doing it just out of a love for yourself? You must look in the mirror and be honest with yourself and ask where your heart is at!
Am I okay with being a person whose name is forgotten so that other people can remember the name of Jesus? Am I okay if all my actions done on earth only give recognition and glory to God instead of myself?
No one besides God can see your heart behind your actions. You can put on a mask and spend your life doing good works, but God will know if your heart is in the right place the whole time. This isn't to say that you won't get recognition from others from your actions; however, that shouldn't be your goal in doing things.
1 Samuel 16:7 says, "People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
I challenge you this month to think of any religious activity you engage in (maybe how you serve at church). Next, take away all the people. Now ask yourself: Does anything change in what the practice means? Does anything change in your motivation to do it? If you find yourself doing things because other people can see your actions, start to practice some spiritual disciplines alone. Prioritize your relationship with God. Once you have this internal foundation, you can then start to be more public without having the concern for what people see or don't see because it's ultimately not about them.
Cornerstone Impact Update
For 2025, the mid-month series is going through the book, "Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work." Through this series, we hope to help people see that you can make an impact for the Kingdom in your workplace. Last month, the focus was on building a culture that glorifies Him:
Courtney Dent
Inspire
There are three mandates when it comes to BRI: avoid, embrace, and engage. One of our fund partners, Inspire, does an excellent job with engagement! Here is a recent story about their engagement with Walmart and Kroger about the abortion pill distribution:
Tim Schwarzenberger
