Scripture

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in Heaven.”

Observation

Jesus warns us against doing good in order to be admired by others. If we do this, we lose our Father’s reward.

When we give to someone in need, we shouldn’t draw attention to ourselves. Rather, we should do it quietly.

When we pray, we shouldn’t do it to show off how holy we are. Rather, we should pray privately- just me and the Father.

We don’t need to babble on endlessly, like the pagans. Repetitious words and phrases don’t impress God. He knows what we need before we ask him.

Application

In this passage, Jesus warns us against public piety. He talks about charitable giving and prayer as opportunities to try and impress other people rather than simply being faithful to our Lord. There is nothing wrong with giving publicly or in praying publicly. We need to take sure, though, that our focus remains on our heavenly Father and on the people around us.

In the days of Jesus, it was not uncommon for wealthy people to have a trumpet fanfare to announce their arrival to do a good deed such as giving money to the temple. If Jesus was speaking today. He might say something like “When you give to the homeless people or volunteer to clean an old person’s yard, don’t post it on social media.”

The key in all of this is, where is my heart? Why am I doing this?

Prayer

Lord, purify my heart. Please protect me from the dangers of seeking the approval of people for simply being obedient to you. Amen.