Saturday, September 24
When, not if
Scripture: Isaiah 47-48, Matthew 6
Matthew 6:2–4 So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 3 But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Observation
Jesus talked about how to “practice your righteousness” (v. 1)—and uses the three chief acts of Jewish piety: giving to the poor, prayer, and fasting. The big idea is that we are not to do them “in front of others to be seen by them,” but “in secret” where your Father alone sees. It’s about motive. The wrong motive is to be noticed by others and win their applause. The right motive is to please our Father.
But notice that Jesus expects us to do them. He doesn’t say, “If you give to the poor, if you pray, if you fast,” but “whenever” and “when.” These are each to be a regular part of our lives. Each of them is “when, not if.”
So the question is:
When do you give to the poor? How is this a regular part of your spiritual practice?
When do you pray? How is this a regular part of your spiritual practice?
When do you fast? How is this a regular part of your spiritual practice?
Application
Today, I’m taking some time to review my spiritual practices of giving to poor, prayer and fasting. In particular, it’s been a long time since fasting has been a regular part of my spiritual practice. I’m going to look for a day when I could fast and pray—regularly.
Prayer: Lord, thanks for the nudge! I’ll get on it. This is when, not if. And just as importantly, help me to do these things for You, not for anyone else’s approval.