Daily Lesson for September 28, 2017

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Matthew chapter 6 verses 1 through 6, 16-18:

‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 ‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

16 ‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Now here's a hard one. Secret giving, secret prayers, and secret devotions. 

I hate keeping a secret -- especially if it's a really good, and doubly especially if it's a really good secret about me. 

Can't I tell somebody?  My best friend, in order to just encourage them to follow in my way. My children, because they should know how much we've had to sacrifice as a family, my spouse because he should know that I'm taking my lunch break at the park to read my Bible. 

Sure we can. And we do. I do.  And that's usually when I receive my reward. 

But it always makes me feel kind of cheap, like maybe my motives weren't all pure, like maybe I was doing it for man and not for God.

That's when I think of Niebuhr, who said the "final enigma of history" will not be the justification of the righteous over the unrighteousness but rather the redemption of the unrighteous within the righteous.

I tell you, it's one thing to do right; it's another thing to do right for all the right reasons.