Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

August 27
Wednesday


AN AUDIENCE
OF ONE

READ:
Matthew 6:1-6
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[Jesus] made Himself of
no reputation, taking
the form of a
bondservant.
__Philippians 2:7
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When I worked as a young journalist for Campus Life magazine, my assistant kept a plaque on her desk with this two-line poem: Only one life, 'twill soon be past / Only what's done for Christ will last.

Reading that plaque brought me up short every time. Although I believed its truth, how could I put it into practice? How should my faith in the invisible world affect my day-to-day life in the visible world?

According to Jesus, it's what God thinks of us that matters, not what others think. Jesus instructed us to pray in a closed room, where no one could see us, rather than in a public place where we might get credit for being spiritual (Matt. 6:6). In other words, live for God and not others.

Do we clamor for attention and achievement? Jesus invites us to let go of that competitive struggle, to trust that God's opinion of us is the only one that ultimately counts.

How would our lives differ if we truly played to an audience of One? Certainly our sense of ego and rivalry would fade, because we would no longer need to worry about proving ourselves to others. We could concentrate instead on pleasing God by living in a way that would attract people to Jesus. __Philip Yancey
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``````````````````````Teach me, my God and King,```````````````
````````````````````````In all things Thee to see,````````````````
```````````````````````And what I do in anything,````````````````
`````````````````````To do it as for Thee! __Herbert`````````````
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Christ is seen most clearly
when we remain in the background.

***************Today's Bible Reading __ Matthew 6:1-6*************

1 Take heed that you do
not do your charitable
deeds before men, to be
seen by them. Otherwise
you have no reward from
your Father in heaven.

2 Therefore, when you do
a charitable deed, do not
sound a trumpet before you
as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the
streets, that they may have
glory from men. Assuredly,
I say to you, they have their
reward. 3 But when you do
a charitable deed, do not let
your left hand know what
your right hand is doing,

4 that your charitable deed
may be in secret; and your
Father who sees in secret
will Himself reward you
openly.

5 And when you pray, you
shall not be like the
hypocrites. Fore they love to
pray standing in the
synagogues and on the
corners of the streets, that
they may be seen by men.

Assuredly, I say to you,
they have their reward.

6 But you, when you pray,
go into your room, and
when you have shut your
door, pray to your Father
who is in the secret place;
and your Father who sees in
secret will reward you
openly.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In Matthew 5:21-48 Jesus deals with the burdensome teachings
of the Pharisees, and in Matthew 6:1-6 with their hypocritical
practices. Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting were three religious duties
performed by every devout Jew. Jesus confronts the "showcase"
performances of these duties and warns that God does not reward
hypocrisy. Later, He pronounces severe judgment on such hypocrisy
(Matt. 23:13-33). __Sim Kay Tee