Unreligious: Week 4 - Day 1
OPENING PRAYER:
Heavenly Father let my heart and thoughts be set on you today. Thank you for loving me, even when my motive is to impress you…in order to get something in return. “May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14, NIV)
1 "Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
REFLECT:
My very nature is to be a ‘pleaser.’ With that backdrop, these scriptures are always challenging for me. I don’t feel that I do things to please myself, but to help others. The trick comes in looking into my heart’s motivation…do I love to see the smiling faces of those benefiting from my acts of kindness, or…do I enjoy the praises of men more for recognizing what I have accomplished? I believe the lesson here is tied to what our expectation of ‘recognition’ is. If we see a need in the body of Christ, then have a chance to join a team whose goal is to meet that need, we should do it. It should not matter what the reward is…it should only please us to see others benefiting from our participation in meeting that need. We should not stand around waiting for a pat on the back or some financial blessing ‘because’ we did it.
Pride becomes the biggest obstacle to growth in the body of Christ. Society today is so fixed on results. Everything from major corporations to political slogans relate to working to get results. Did you know that many times God will call you to things where the world’s definition of ‘success’ won’t be met? I Corinthians 9:24, (NIV), Paul exhorts us, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Of course, we should run the race of faith, but I also think Paul is telling us to run for Christ and trust him for the results! If we see growth in the church that impresses man, it’s very easy for the enemy to say, “look what a great work you have done!” Deuteronomy 8:17-18, NIV, says, “You may say to yourself, my power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me, but remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
APPLY:
The area of ‘pure motivation’ can be a very difficult objective to strive for when you start each day. Instead, begin by asking the Lord to search your heart, to purify your mind and keep them both “fixed on him,” the author and finisher of our faith. Trusting God for our daily needs means trusting him to provide those needs, no matter what he has directed you to do. When we have that type of dependency on him, we know that he will supply what we need, regardless of what we “do” for him…as long as we are truly “doing it for him.” Matthew 6:19-21, NIV, helps us focus more on this trust…”Do not store up for yourselves on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
CLOSING PRAYER:
Dear God, this very day, renew my mind, my vision and my heart to be set upon you. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10, NIV) Amen.