Matthew
6 – Do Good to Please God
We
should give only to please God and receive His praise. If we give to win the
praise of others, or to be able to complement ourselves, we get the immediate
reward/praise, but we lose the eternal reward. We cannot get our reward twice,
so we must decide which one we want. To give and do charitable deeds in secret
reflects a person’s desire to please God more than people. God blesses those
who honor Him.
Our
public praying is only as good as our private praying, and our private praying
should be secret, sincere, and systematic. The Lord’s Prayer is a pattern for
us to follow so that we will put God’s concerns first and not forget to forgive
others. Jesus condemns prayers that are self-serving. When we read from a
written prayer we must make sure it springs from the heart.
We
need things to live, and God provides those things for us; but acquiring things
must not be the main goal of life. You are living for things when they capture
your heart, divide your mind, and control your will; and the result is worry.
The solution is to put God first and start living with eternity’s values in
view.
Humans
universally depend on God for His provision of food, health and even breath.
Asking God for daily bread acknowledges one’s complete dependence on Him (Psalm
104:27-29).
People’s
relationships with the Lord cannot be made right until their relationships with
others are made right. Relational forgiveness should be sought again and again.
(I John 1:5-10).
Worry
means to divide, tear, rip apart; to pull in opposite directions. So, to be anxious
is to be torn apart by circumstances. On the other hand, concern is a
legitimate emotion, helping God’s people focus on real problems and providing
enough spiritual energy to respond with godly solutions. (Ps. 55:22; Luke
12:22; Phil. 4:6).
Please
read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.
If
you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.
Dr.
David Jeremiah Study Bible. J. Vernon McGee Through the Bible
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