Friday, January 6, 2017
Upon reading in the 6th Chapter of Matthew this morning, particularly verses 17-18, the Lord reminded me of the importance of keeping certain things to ourselves. The verses read:“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Did you notice the words “in secret”? And though the verses speak directly about fasting, I’m sure it also includes whatever we do in our service and obedience to God.
It is a human tendency, I know it is one of mine, to want to share with others what we are doing in our lives, especially those things which are good. Because of it, I have gotten into the practice of offering a silent prayer to God when I sense that someone is about to open a conversation with me. My prayer is: “Lord, please help me to be a good listener and say only that which is necessary.” After this morning’s biblical reminder, I’ll add this to my prayer: “Please help me not to say something like “Really? me too!” or “Well, let me tell you about me.” I’m sure we all know those who have the reputation of always besting someone else’s claim. For example, let’s say someone says “Man, I only got four hours of sleep last night, and the other will reply something like “I only got two” or else “I sleep less than that every night.” I think you get the picture.
Being that this new year is still in it’s infant stage, perhaps it would be a good idea to make it one of our resolutions. I am referring to the effort to draw attention away from ourselves as much as possible. When asked about John the Baptist, Jesus said “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than he.” (Mt. 11:11) Yet, when Jesus arrived on the scene, John said this about Him: “He that has come from Heaven is above all” That is why he also had declared previously: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Read John 3:29-31) Its as if John said: “Christ is the One people need to see and hear, not me.” We hear this phrase often: “Its all about Jesus.” That is a true statement, and because it is, let’s try to live in such a way where others will see more of Christ than us in our lives.
God’s word for today: (1 Corinthians 1:31) “That, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”
