“‘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.’” Matthew 6:1 NIV
We all want to be rewarded for our work and efforts. We look forward to being congratulated on a job well done, or receiving a ‘thank you’ after doing an act of kindness. How disappointing it is when the ‘thank you’ or ‘congratulations’ received does not meet our expectations. How even more disappointed we should be, knowing that when the praise we receive does meet our expectations, but that our reward has been paid in full.
I believe that we are being cautioned by Jesus to guard ourselves, and in particular our hearts, against being hypocritical and worldly. We need to take a moment to do a ‘heart check-up’ and examine our true motives. Proverbs 4:23 tells us that, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
The choice is ours; we can desire immediate but temporary applause from our peers, or we can desire eternal approval from our Lord. What do we treasure? “For where our treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (verse 21)
Lock Your Wings 
Two things stood out for me today: ““Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.”
Matthew 6:19 NLT
As we’ve been emptying our house of “treasures” it’s easy to see that our “stuff” can easily take over our house, use up our money, and possessions fo not last. Maybe I need to remember this more clearly as I purge my stuff and think of it as the temporary thing that it is.
And
““So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:34 NLT
We have lots going on in our house in the next few months which means there’s a ton of things we can worry about. May we remember not to think too far ahead and to focus one day at a time and trust that God can handle the details.
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Very true, the world lays out a net for us…it is up to us to avoid it!
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Yes, I like how you put it as “the world lays out a net for us”. We can so easily become entangled and caught up in it. Have a great day Alan!
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Thanks brother, may He bless you richly today too.
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