Right Things From The Wrong Motive

Matthew 6:1 

"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be

seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward

of your Father which is in heaven"

    To the Jew there were three great cardinal works of the religious life, three great pillars on which the good life was base; almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Jesus would not for one moment have disputed that; what troubled Him was that so often in human life the finest things were done from the wrong motives.

    It is a strange fact that these three great cardinal good works easily lead themselves to wrong motives. Jesus was warning that, when these things were done with the sole intention of bringing glory to the doer, they lost by far the most important part of their value. A man may give alms, not really to help the person to whom he gives, but simply to demonstrate his own generosity, and to bask in the warmth of some one's gratitude and all men's praise. A man may pray in such a way that his prayer is not really addressed to God, but to his fellow men. His praying may simply be an attempt to demonstrate his exceptional piety in such a way that no one can fail to see it. A man may fast, not really for the good of his own soul, not really to humble himself in the sight of God, but simply to show the world what a splendidly self disciplined character he is. A man may practice good works simply to win praise from men, to increase his own prestige, and to show the world how good he is. As Jesus saw it, there is no doubt that this kind of behavior does receive a certain kind of reward. Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." (Matt 6:2e).

     What Jesus is saying is this: "If you give alms to demonstrate your own generosity, you will get the admiration of men, but that is all you will ever get. That is your payment in full. If you pray in such a way as to flaunt your piety in the face of men, you will gain the reputation of being an extremely devout man, but that is all you will ever get. That is your payment in full. If you fast My Friends, What Jesus is saying is this; "If your one aim is to get yourself the world's rewards, no doubt you will get them." If so you will be a sadly short sighted creature who grasped the rewards of time, and let the rewards of eternity go.

Amen!

Reading: (Matt. 6:1-4)

Ref: (HG SB; DSB)

May God Bless You

And Your Family

Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.

The Cross Life Ministry