Disciples do Righteous Acts Before God Rather than Men (but Actually Do Them!)
Matthew 6:1-4
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. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
~ Jesus
In saying “when you give,” Jesus presumes that you will be giving, just like He presumes that His followers will be praying and fasting (Matthew 6:5, 16). Giving mirrors God’s own generous heart. The question at hand is how to give. This week we delve into faith-oriented giving in terms of how and to whom God wants us to perform our acts of righteousness. Initial thoughts might turn to helping the poor or “needy” – and that would be spot-on. We will also look at a few groups beside that, including one’s own family – and, of course, the family of God known as the church.
Prayer for the Week
Lord Jesus Christ, You gave so much: Your life-giving energy, Your kind heart, Your healing words and touch. You gave the message of the Gospel and Your own life to make that Gospel a life-saving message. Teach me to be like You, to follow You, to love and give like You. So I pray. Amen.
Immersed in the Word of God
Micro-Meditation Scripture
Psalm 95:1-11
- Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. - Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song. - For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods. - In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him. - The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land. - Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; - for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if only you would hear his voice, - “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness, - where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did. - For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, they area people whose hearts go astray,
they have not known my ways - So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’
Micro-Meditation Action
Read the verses of the Psalm two times. Focus on what you see differently on the second reading.
Mark any words or phrases that catch your attention.
Meditate: Talk (or write in a journal) with God about the words that catch your attention. Ask Him to impress things upon your heart and mind; expect a response.
Micro-Meditation Pondering Point
This Psalm of David is a call to worship the Lord – together – in joy and thanksgiving. "Let us sing", he cries, "let us bow down in worship" to our great God. Where are the various places you enact this charge with other disciples?