“...seek ye first...” 2.17.2004 edited 2.18.17
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God , and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
This verse of Scripture is straight forward in it’s message, but we
seem to miss the point as we study, quote and teach it. This passage,
Matthew 6, is not necessarily about our attitude toward the material,
or supernal blessings. It concerns our attitude toward God. The key
question is; Do we serve the Lord God, or are we looking for ways to
get Him to meet our needs; to serve us? If we are not careful we will
be counted by our Lord as no more worthy than first century adversa-
ries whom He called “Hypocrites.” What was it about these men
causing Jesus Christ to address them in this manner? We know He
was kind as He spoke with outright sinners of every stripe. He did,
however; have very strong words, even condemnation for this group
of men who pretended to be holy but lacked the fruit of holiness. The
strongest words He had for sinners was, “Go and sin no more.” He
called these religious leaders "whitewashed graves full of dead men's
bones." What attitude might we have that would cause Him to place
us in the same category? The obvious would be to act in a way that
is inconsistent with our profession. This is normally seen in one who
pretends to be religious in public, but is less so in private, acting one
way with one group, but totally differently with others. This behavior
is reprehensible in our Lord's sight and a poor reflection on the Lord
and His church. We who are born again children of God must be con-
sistent in character and above reproach in all of life. "Take heed
that you do not do your alms before men, to be seen of them: other-
wise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore,
when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogue and in the streets, that they may
have glory of men.
Verily I say unto you, 'they have their reward.' But when thou doest
alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. That thine
alms may be in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret, himself,
shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6: 1-4
Another way we are hypocritical is when our motives are not trans-
parent. As children of God's Kingdom, we are followers of Christ,
serving God and mankind. For our motives to be pure, we practice
our charity, prayer, and denial of self in secret without seeking any
reward. If we serve our Lord with an eye to be seen of men or for
personal advantage, we cannot expect a reward from our Father in
heaven. (Matthew Chapter 6: 1-7;) When we serve the Lord by hel-
ping others, it is as if we were serving our Lord directly. Things we
do for His children are as unto Him. Here is where our hearts may
deceive us. Do we serve Him, or are we looking for ways to get
Him to serve us?
It seems every time I pray it’s about some perceived need on my
part. Even as I pray for “my” family I must remember these are per-
sons God has given me responsibility for providing material and spi-
ritual needs. The prayer I make for my family may be selfish; for
it is much easier on an individual who has family living a Godly life.
There is also the prayer for friends or loved ones who are especially
dear to us. Could this not be a selfish prayer? We pray for family,
friends, loved ones, believing our prayer to be unselfish and of pure
motive. In order to bring assurance into our hearts on this matter,
it is good to make a practice to pray for persons of whom we know
some detail of need, but have no close or filial connection.
Although "charity begins at home," we must make a practice of
helping those we hardly know, doing it secretly, at that. One way we
might avoid hypocrisy is to search the Scripture on the subject of sal-
vation by grace alone, “...not of works lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2: 2-9-- Since all of our good deeds of a lifetime are insuf-
ficient to qualify us for anything from our lord, we rely upon faith
in God, His Word and grace alone, without confidence in the flesh, or
self. As we make a practice of regular personal Bible study, we may
avoid the pitfalls into which we might otherwise fall. “The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know
it?” (Jeremiah 17: 9) “For the Word of God is quick, (alive) and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4: 12...)
Through thoughtful, diligent study of God’s Word we will protect
ourselves from self deceit and selfish lifestyles. Even as we delve
into His Word, we must be careful not to make a show of it and know
we are not doing this in order to "parade" our knowledge of the Scrip-
ture. Our goal is to learn how to better serve our God and mankind,
as did Jesus Christ. Matthew 6: 1-18
http://biblicalclarity-don.blogspot.com/2014/07/thou-shalt-not-take-name-of-lord-thy.html
donporter 1.23.13, edited 7.21.16
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